Foiled Future Foes
by gopherfool
Summary: SameStory. When Chris' fiance come into the past, it triggers events that lead up to the ultimate battle of good and evil. So read on, as the oppressed overcome their dictators, good magic grows from a place of darkness, and love prevails over all.
1. Chapter 1

Chris is visited by his fiance from the future, and the sisters realize just how wrong they were about him. But everybodies happiness is cut short, due to an unexpected (or expected, depending on you viewpiont) foe.

Disclaimer: I do not own Charmed, or the WB, or anything else of value for that matter…yada, yada, yada…

Pre-ChrisCrossed, AU ending

Chris Revelation Fic.

Piper Haliwell stooped over the Book of Shadows, carefully reading the entry marked "Time Travel." Her face became more and more grim as she read on.

She and her sisters have been more and more anxious out the rather secretive activities of Chris Perry. All of his excuses, and half-truths were unbearable, and the home situation was becoming extremely tense.

"Find anything?" Paige walked into the room, followed closely by Phoebe, who was balancing Wyatt on her hip.

"Nothing!" Piper said, upset. "All it says is what I remembered…the spell and whatnot."

"Come on, sisters!" Phoebe broke in, "we know that something is up with him."

Silently, they all recalled the past weeks occurrences that involved Chris. Glaring at Wyatt whenever Piper kissed him, leaving in the middle of conversations, even almost punching Leo in the face when he made a crack about half-demons.

Blue orbs interrupted their individual thoughts as Leo orbed into the room, holding an athame.

"Hey!" Piper shouted, moving away from it, "Keep that thing away from us!"

The hurried elder looked down at the blade, which was pointing directly at his ex-wife.

"Oh, sorry girls," he replied hastily, as he flipped it and held the blade instead.

"So, what up Up There? Phoebe asked casually. "And why are you holding that?"

"I found it in Chris' room!" Leo said eagerly, remembering why he was their in the first place. "It's obviously proof that he's evil!"

"Um, Leo," Paige began hesitantly, "we have athames here, and we're not evil…"

"She's got a point." Phoebe agreed.

"Yeah, but whitelighters aren't supposed to carry these! We're pacifists!"

"Alright, but I think your stretching on this—" Piper was cut off by the opening of a portal behind her, which created a violent wind that blew her hair about.

"What the—" Paige began, but was interrupted by a young woman tumbling through the portal, and flying into the opposite wall.

She had brownish-blonde hair that lay straight, falling halfway down her back. She wore a red sweater with khaki pants, and looked breathless. Her eyes looked this way and that, frightened of where she was.

The newcomer turned back to the portal, in time to see several darklighter, crossbows aimed, crawling through the rapidly closing opening. The jumped out right before it closed.

"Leo, Paige, get yourselves and Wyatt out of here!" Piper yelled, immediately recognizing the threat the darklighters posed to her family.

"We would never hurt the Dark Lord." The darklighter sneered at Piper and Phoebe who held Wyatt.

"We do, however, want you." The darklighter said, whirling around to face the other woman, who was not standing up.

"Oh yeah?" she said, sure of herself. She raised her hand, and an energy ball appeared.

"Demon!" Phoebe squeaked. Leo, however, was puzzled. Although the arrows full of poison made him believe it was better not to speak.

To everyone's surprise, the energy ball still in her hand transformed into a purple tulip in a burst of blue orbs.

"No," she moaned, "not again…"

Immediately, a force field came up, much like Wyatt's who was already in place, except that this one cracked with a strong electric current. Fruitlessly, the darklighter poked it, but it was like steel.

"What do we do?" the second darklighter, who was in a watchmen position, wondered aloud.

"Shut up!" the first one replied, enraged. Harder, he prodded the shield, but the woman remained safely inside.

Blue orbs announce another whitelighter entering the attic. Chris appeared, and his eyes immediately took in the scene.

"Bianca?"


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Charmed, or the WB, or an i-pod (sniff).

Bianca looked at Chris, with both love and a hint of annoyance.

"Chris!" Piper demanded, "You know her?" Chris, his mind in conflict over protecting his secrets and aiding the woman he loved, stood rather still.

Unfortunately, the other darklighter took care of it.

"Know him? She's his fiancé!" The darklighter said, with a smug grin sitting on his face. Hehoped his master would be proud of him for spilling one of the traitor's secrets, and being in the Dark Lord's favor was necessary for survival. He looked over to his partner, who nodded at him subtly.

The sisters were in shock. They thought that Chris was many things… but a family man? It never crossed their minds.

Leo, however, was enraged. His face contorted, his mouth twisting up with ire. He was tired of Chris' lies and deceitful ways. He knew that this was just a ploy to try to gain the sisters' trust, so that he could get closer to Wyatt. Leo vowed to himselfnever tofall for it.

The darklighters, seemingly oblivious to all other's torments and confusion, continued to drive their arrows at the force field. Chris, whostood in the middle of the room, was finding it difficult not to come to Bianca's aid. His hands itched to kill those who were hurting hissoon to befamily.

"Hey!" Piper yelled. The darklighters both look at her, distracted by her sudden outburst. She raised her hands quickly, and gestured to blow them up.

The two demons fell back a few steps, and quickly regained their balance.

The Charmed Ones looked at each in fear, then back at the darklighters, who were grinning unnecessarily at them.

"Why didn't they blow up?" Phoebe mumbled, looking from one darklighter to the other, "You can blow up them, you have before. Leo, why didn't they blow up?"

The elder looked panickly at the people in the room. He didn't know why either.

"The Dark Lord has bestowed great gifts upon us, one of which enables us to have a higher tolerance toward your powers, witches." The first darklighter smirked.

"Highly educated, too," Paige said quietly, in refrence to their vocabulary, whcih seemed larger than most demons they have fought.

"He also gave us this…" the second darklighter added, not paying attention to the sister's comments, and flourished a glimmering and deadly-looking knife, that glowed a dim red. He tossed it toward the one who stood by the woman in her protective shield.That darklighterposed, ready to slice through the electric current and the force field, thus slaying the woman inside.

"NO!" Chris shouted, and thrust his hand out in front of him. From his palm shot a bright stream of light, which went straight through the first darklighter, as the other scrambled for his crossbow. The first darklighter was reduced to ashes, and Chris aimed for the second one.

As the remaining one was shot through, he looked at the angered whitelighter in disbelief.

"He said you wouldn't use you powers against us… he lied to us!" he yelled, enraged, as he burned and died.


	3. Chapter 3

The sisters looked at Chris in awe and shock, as the young whitelighter rushed to his fiancé's side.Her shield went down immediately as he approached, and the woman gave him his hand grudgingly, like someone who had a large amount of pride. He pulled her up and embraced her tightly.

"Air! Air!" she laughed, as she hugged him back. The Charmed Ones and Leo looked on with utter bewilderment. This was a completely different Chris that they had never seen before.

"What the hell is going on?" Piper demanded, shifting her eyes quickly from the couple to the two piles of ashes that lay several feet away from the Book in the attic.

Chris, not releasing Bianca, turned his head back to the sisters, with a flustered expression upon his face.

"Umm" he began, desperately searching his mind for an answer, besides the truth. Unable to find one, he orbed out, taking the woman with him.

"Great," Paige muttered, "just great."

The sisters and Leo stamped down the stairs, following an enraged Piper to the kitchen, where she grabbed several pots and pans, placing them on the counter, along with a half dozen cooking utensils. Then, out came numerous foods, spices, oils, and liquids.

"Piper, sweetie, what are you doing?" Phoebe asked, trying to grasp her eldest sister's attention. It wasn't working, however, so the others stood by as she ranted, and they waited for the storm to pass.

"He walks into our lives, claiming about a dozen different things, and they're all contradicting each other! Then, his fiancé comes through and he uses these amazing, and no doubt dangerous, powers to vanquish demons. I mean…he's probably as powerful as us! He can't be pure whitelighter!Then, he doesn't even offer up the slightest explanation, but leaves us to clean up after him! Now, he's probably gallivanting of with future-girl!"

"Well, the mess was only a few piles of ashes—" Paige began, but was silence by collective glares from Leo and Piper.

"Why don't we just give Chris a chance to get all of his thoughts together before we come after him with questions?" Phoebe, trying to keep her sisters and ex brother-in-lawout of the craziness, was attempting to come up with a logical way to approach this. "I mean, he just saw his fiancé for the first time since he left for our time."

"You're on his side!" Piper said incredulously. "Must I remind you of Wyatt, you innocent little nephew?"

"Piper, she's only trying to help," Paige stepped in, both physically and verbally.

"It's ok, Paige. I'm going to head over to the office anyways." Phoebe said, and made her way toward the door, grabbing her purse and keys. "I'll see you for dinner?"

"Sure, honey," Piper replied quietly, already beginning to calm down as she added various ingredients to the pot in front of her.

Thank god for cooking, both Paige and Leo thought simultaneously. And both went their separate ways; Leo orbed back up to the elders,to report the latest happenings,and Paige went toward her car, en route to her next temp job.

Meanwhile, at P3…

"I'm so glad you're here." Chris murmured, as he sat at the bar, pouring a glass of water for two. "Here you go."

"Thank you!" Bianca said happily, as she drank quickly from the glass. "I'm starving."

"Well," Chris started in a joking tone, "Piper does have much in the way of food here, but…" He dragged out the last syllable as he ducked under the counter, and shuffled through various items stored on the shelves below.

"What are you doing?" Bianca smiled at him, placing the empty glass back onto the surface. Although the situation both in the past and future, she was just glad to be with the man she loved once more. She turned her attention back to her fiancé, who had raised his hand, and produced a lime he had found under the counter.

"Food!" he said, excited.

"You are such an idiot." Bianca shook her head in mock despair, even though he could not see her, as he was still below the counter.

"Come on—" _Thack! _Chris, as he was getting up, hit his head on the surface. Bianca burst out laughing.

"Klutz!" She muttered, loud enough for the whitelighter to hear her. He turned around to face her, still rubbing his scalp, and she knew he had a comeback prepared.

"Then how did I beat you the first time we met? When you were supposed to kill me…" He looked at her intently, and she rolled her eyes.

"Don't remind me…" she sighed, as if remembering distant and unpleasanttimes.

Chris sat across from her on an identical stool, and folded his arms out on the table. Bianca could tell a tough question was about to come up. One she really didn't want to answer. But she had to…she owed it to him to be honest.

"How is everybody in the future?"

So few words, but that question would open up another world of pain for her young fiancé. She hated to be the one to unbolt the lock…


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Yeah…so I don't own Charmed. Whatever…

I was also told through reviews that people said the chapters were too short. So, maybe this one is longer. But if it's not…too bad; it was a good place to end it.

En route to "The Bay Mirror"…

Phoebe Haliwell looked out the window of her car, waiting for the traffic light to turn green. Her thoughts drifted back to the events that happened several minutes ago. What puzzled her the most, however, was the girl.

The blue orbs and the tulip, though unnoticed by her sisters, who were concerned with the threat of the darklighters, did not escape her. It reminded her of something…

As the traffic light went to green, and the stream of cars began to surge toward the intersection, Phoebe slammed down on the breaks.

"Oh my God…"

Quickly, she pulled a U-turn, and sped of into the opposite direction, and soon landed on the roadway that would take her to P3. Cries of annoyance and anger came from the surrounding drivers, but she was oblivious to it all, as the amazement of her epiphany washed over her.

Future, the Underworld…

"My liege…" the armored demon knelt down on the dirty and bloodstained ground, paying homage to a young man. He was blonde, about twenty-five, with his curly hair pulled back in a heavily gelled ponytail. His black, tight shirt showed off his lean muscles, and around his waist lay a jewel-studded belt from which hung a mighty sword.

"Well, obviously, since you are showing me the utmost respect, I take it your squadron failed to capture her," the man remarked curtly, and his eyes shone with a curious mix of annoyance and glee. The kneeling figure trembled as he tried to avoid his master's gaze.

"Sire, they were vanquished by Christopher."

"All the more reason to be ashamed, Tityus," the man fumed. "He is a powerless little twerp whose only goal in life, it seems, is to _screw_ with my plans!"

"My Lord, his power, it was…"

"Exactly, and that is why I want him on my side. Think of my power then!" he bellowed, raising his arms up as lightning shot through them and into the walls.

"However," he continued, the shocks of lightning lessening to a random few, "you have propelled me farther from that goal. But what to do with you…"

He raised his hands, and aimed them at the demon. Tityus conjured a fireball, but it was in vain. He screamed with pain, and erupted into a fiery explosion, which dissipated within a few seconds.

"Drawton?" He called out calmly. A thin demon stepped out of the shadows, and stared blankly at the man.

"Yes, Master?"

"Find me another," he asked with mock politeness. "And Drawton?"

The demon, who had moved to leave, turned once again to face him.

"I want Chris and Bianca dead before that spawn of theirs is born. Understand?"

"Of course, Lord Wyatt."

At P3...

"Bianca?"

Chris looked intently at Bianca. He watched in horror as her brown eyes filled with tears so rarely present here. He found himself wiping away some of his own.

"Please, Bianca…I need to know," he asked again, although now he was dreading the response. Please, he thought to himself, not the cousins.

"Chris," she began, hesitantly relaying each word. "Chris, Leo betrayed us to Wyatt. You were right; we never should have trusted him." She paused for a moment, and then continued.

"He told Wyatt where The Home was. He came in with about a thousand demons, and they just started…to slaughter _everybody_. He just killed almost all of us. I survived only because the baby's force field came up. Victor was with me in the library, so he's safe in one of the dimension cracks. Mel and Jonas are also safe, since they were conferring with the leprechauns and faeries. But everybody else was…" Her voice cracked, and she trailed off.

"Ella?" he asked, referring to Mel's younger sister, Phoebe's youngest daughter. She was ten, and Chris' goddaughter. His tears were now flowing freely.

Bianca looked down at her hands, and a small teardrop fell.

"Dennis? Prue? Mikey? Tara?…" He stopped naming off his cousins and close friends as he caught Bianca's facial expression. They were all gone.

"The only Haliwells left are you, Mel, Jonas, and…"

"Wyatt," he finished.

Back at the Manor…

The phone rang, echoing through the house. Piper, who was in the kitchen stirring a pot of soup, answered it.

"Hello?"

"Piper? It's me," Phoebe replied, and her voice crackled with the static of her cell phone.

"Pheebes," she said, relieved, "Look, I'm sorry about blowing up at you, but we're all just a little tense right now."

"Piper, never mind that!" she said, excited, "I just realized something!"

"About…" she waited.

Piper could hear her younger sister's sigh over the phone.

"Bianca!" cried Phoebe, exasperated. "She's pregnant with Chris' child!"


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I received a review asking how Phoebe knew about the Bianca's pregnancy. I'm fairly certain it was a sarcastic remark, but if not, read chapter one again. I might start portraying the Charmed Ones as stupid, since I thought they were in Season 6. Just tell me to stop if I start overdoing it. (But come on! A 'whitelighter' from the future who knows everything about them? Duh!)

At P3…

Phoebe pulled into the parking lot of P3 with a feeling of foreboding rising from within her stomach. If she was right, and she was sure she was, Chris would surely become enraged when he discovered that she knew. She and her sisters, she thought, were probably better off not letting Chris know they were on to him until after they gathered more information.

There was, however, one glitch in this plan.

Phoebe Haliwell had never been able to keep a secret. She would spill all to Chris sooner or later, so it might as well be sooner, while she still has control over what she says.

'Or better yet, don't confront him at all,' she realized, 'I'll just listen for a while.'

Stealthily, she entered P3, where she thought Chris and his fiancé would be. She stopped as she heard a slight murmuring from the bar area.

"Do you know where Mel and Jonas are now?" She heard Chris ask the woman quietly.

There was a pause, and Phoebe craned her neck forward, trying to hear more. Who are Mel and Jonas? Bianca's voice, softer than during the time when the darklighters attacked, replied hesitantly.

"Mel was enraged…when she found out about the massacre, and her father's and Ella's death's, she went…crazy. Jonas and I tried to calm down, but she shimmered off to the underworld and vanquished every demon she came upon."

'Shimmered?' Phoebe thought to herself, 'he's working with demons?'

"Did Jonas calm her down?" Chris asked, with a blank look on his face. He seemed confused, as if he was be thinking of something else.

"Yeah, about fifty demons later, but it took a while—Chris, what's wrong?" Bianca looked at him anxiously, when she saw his eyes widened with delight.

"You said baby," he answered, a pure and bright smile appearing on his face, "when you were talking about how you survived to attack, you said the _baby's _force field."

Bianca looked down at her hands, but just for a moment. She raised her head up, and looked him in the eye, expecting the opposite, negative response from him.

"Chris, you're going to be a father."

Phoebe gasped. He hadn't known.

Back at the Manor…

The ringing noise of orbs filled the conservatory as Leo, with his golden elder robes, orbed down to the awaiting sisters. Phoebe entered the door to see Leo materialize.

"Piper," he said, exasperated, "I can't be at you're beck and call anymore. I do have elderly—" he was cut off by his impatient ex-wife.

"Chris' fiancé is pregnant," she paused for effect, "with his child!"

"Huh?" Leo paled as realization dawned on him.

"Oh no…this is…really bad!" he muttered to himself, in a panicked-sort of voice.

"What do you know that we don't?" Paige demanded, catching on to Leo's near nervous breakdown.

"The elders don't have a clue who she is," he replied, "all they know is that she is a demon."

"That would make the child…" Piper continued as she began to understand Leo's train of thought.

"Incredibly powerful." Leo finished. He watched as the sisters absorbed the news he believed to be absolutely terrifying.

"But not necessarily evil," Phoebe argued after a moment, remembering her experience with Cole, before he was possessed by the Source.

"Are you kidding!" Piper said in disbelief. "With parents like Chris and Bianca, or whatever her name was?"

"Where is he, anyways?" Paige wondered, thinking of perhaps magically forcing the truth out of him.

"At P3," replied Phoebe effortlessly, and opened her mouth to speak. She was cut off by Piper.

"And you knew that how?" she demanded.

"I had a brief epiphany on the ride to work," she answered mildly, "I figured that's where he was. I listened in on there conversation for a moment—Chris didn't know she was pregnant. He does know, of course."

"Well, let's go talk to the—"

"Easy on the language!" Piper cried out, gesturing to the kitchen, where Wyatt was finishing his lunch. Leo looked sheepish.

"And we are not going anywhere," Paige corrected. "Cooler heads and all?" she reminded him, referring to his strong hatred of the young whitelighter.

"Paige is right," Piper admitted, apologetic, "Why don't you watch Wyatt?"

"But…"

"Leo!" Piper said loudly, "don't make me freeze you!"

Meanwhile, Chris and Bianca receive some rather expected company at P3…

"Chris! Get your ass out here!" he coul hear Piper yell from the stairway of the club entrance.

"Is that your mother?" Bianca whispered furiously to Chris. The Charmed One's had died to early for her to ever meet them, so she did not know who was who by their voice alone. However, the tone was very similar to her fiance's…

"Yep," Chris replied nervously. "I'm actually surprised it took them this long to find me."

"What should we do?" she asked, standing up from the stool and turning toward the source of the pounding footsteps. The door began to open.

"I dunno…"

The Charmed Ones stormed down the stars and into the club. They turned to face Chris and Bianca, Piper in the front, with Phoebe bringing up the rear.

"Spill," they said simply.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Don't own Charmed. Some uper-rich dude does, and he really doesn't use it well enough.

Sorry that it's short, but the stuffI have planned for this story nextdoesn't belong with this chapter, and I don't what to bore you guys with meaningless junk that doesn't develop the plot. Enjoy, and please review.

"What do you want to know?" Chris asked innocently, and his eyes stayed focused on his mother, who was interrogating him from across the counter.

They had all sat down; Piper, Paige and Phoebe stood in the inner part of the bar, whereas Bianca and Chris sat uncomfortably in chairs. Bianca took this time to study the sisters.

Piper definitely looked rather a lot like Chris, she realized. She had always noticed that Wyatt looked a lot like Leo, but had always wondered whom Chris took after. She had seen photos of his mother at Chris' apartment, but in real life the similarities were remarkable.

Mel also seemed to take after her mother. She and Phoebe had the same hair and eyes. Their voices were also similar, but Mel's was more tense because of the situation back at Home.

Jonas, on the other hand, did not in any way resemble his mother. The hair color, eyes, face, all were almost mirror images to his father.

Paige caught Bianca looking at her and tried to glare, but ended up smiling weakly. Ah, Bianca thought, the smile. So Paige's legacy does live on in her son.

She was shaken out of her thoughts by Piper's insistent tone.

"Who is she?" she demanded, gesturing with her index finger at Bianca rudely.

"Piper, she's my fiancé. You know that already from the darklighter." Chris said, exasperated, as if that was all to the story, and the Charmed Ones were blowing it out of proportion.

"She's a demon," Paige muttered, and Bianca shot a cold glare at her when she realized it was meant to be an insult.

"Like I said before—not necessarily evil," Phoebe said just loud enough for all to hear. Chris chuckled lightly. If only she knew how much that state of mind would be important in the coming years.

"But who is she?" Piper asked, emphasizing the words. Chris looked back at her. The sisters thought he was trying to instill fear, but Bianca knew him well enough. He was searching for a believable lie.

Chris was indeed stuck. He decided on a half truth, hoping that his limited acting abilities would make it seem complete and realistic.

But Bianca stepped in before he could open his mouth.

"I'm an assassin, and we met when I tried to kill him. The rest is history," she said simply. Chris was surprised; that wassimplier than his confusing web of lies he had been constructing. Plus, it was true, so it would be easier to remember.

"You tried to kill him!" Paige said, shocked. Bianca nodded proudly, like a small child who did well on an art project.

"Why didn't you finish the job?" Piper muttered, rolling her eyes toward the ceiling.

"Because I was too good," Chris answered Piper's sarcastic remark. He smirked at Bianca playfully. She returned it with a warning glare. No one insults her talent. She may be good now, but she was still dangerous, she thought to herself.

"No," she returned, "you were helped. One on one, I could take you on any time."

But she was kidding herself. Chris was not only part of the second generation of Charmed Ones, but the son of a Charmed One and an elder. He could kill her in an instant if he wanted to. Which luckily, he did not.

"All well, so sad, WHO CARES!" Piper roared, getting extremely agitated. Chris could be planning to hurt her precious Wyatt, and a new part of unraveling his mystery was sitting here, chatting about who could kill who.

"Let's start with easier questions," Phoebe interrupted rationally. Paige nodded at her in agreement, so she continued. "Who are Mel and Jonas?"

"Who?" Piper and Paige asked simulataniously. Bianca looked at Chris, surprised, and Chris looked quizzically at Phoebe.

"How do you know about them?" he demanded, shaking. A thought struck him suddenly. Did she get a premonition?

"Answer the question," Phoebe countered. He sighed.

"They're…friends, from the future," he answered finally. Well, at least that was truthful. He was always close to those two cousins in particular, being second generation Charmed Ones together.

"More specific." Piper glared at him. He tried to look exasperated with them.

"What? Do you want detailed biographies about every single person I knew in the future?" he said, and gave the air that what they kept asking was ridiculous.

"That would help!" Paige said, and he looked at her like she was insane.

Suddenly, another portal was created from the wall of the club. Chris and Bianca both groaned, expecting Wyatt to come out from it. Then they would have explaining to do.

Instead, out came a man and woman, both about Bianca's and Chris' age. The woman wore all black pants and tank top, with a black cloak fastened by a silver pendent shaped into a triquetra. Her hair was a dark brown, as were her eyes, and she had a scar starting at the left side of her jaw and traveling up her face, stopping inches below her eye. She also had a new wound above her right eye: a small red bruise, with small dots of blood speckling the area about two square inches wide.

The man had reddish blonde hair, and was supporting the woman. His complexion was lighter, and had numerous freckles scattered across his nose. His blue eyes held fear and concern, and he was dressed in a light blue shirt over a white T-shirt. He also wore faded blue jean that were worn and dirty.

The new man glanced back at the portal anxiously. The sisters followed his gaze, and saw several figures advancing toward the opening, all menacing and deadly, and backed by a dirty and war-torn world. But the portal began to shrink, so their entrance became unlikely.

The portal closed and the man relaxed, only to adjust his hold an the black-clad girl whose arm was slung over his shoulder.

"Chris!" he exclaimed, slowly making his way toward him. The woman stirred and opened her bloodshot eyes. Chris advanced toward them.

"Mel and Jonas?" Piper asked, eyeing the newcomers.

Several things happened next. Chris and Bianca both started toward the future visitors, and attempted to explain things to them without the sisters catching on. Jonas, noting the three sisters, widened his eyes briefly, then, with help from Chris, tore his tearful eyes away from them.

However, the most significant thing that occurred was that the woman, Mel, caught a glance of Phoebe. Her blood-shot eyes stared at her, as if not believing what she saw.

"Mom?"


	7. Chapter 7

The sisters looked at the woman with the wounds with shock, although in Phoebe's case, it was delight. Whimpering with pain,the girlfell from Jonas' grip and fell to the cement floor. Her elbows and wrists took most of the fall. She rolled onto her back, and stared up at the lights for a moment, before sitting up, and finally standing.

She moved tenderly and slowly, and almost collapsed twice when trying to rise up. Chris and Jonas rushed over, followed by Bianca, but she waved off their help and managed to stand by herself. Once she had, although she stood weakly and painfully, her eyes portrayed strength and fearlessness, as well as stubbornness and dangerousness.

Both Jonas and Chris looked down at the floor, and Bianca rolled her eyes in disbelief.

All three were realizing that all their planning was falling apart, Jonas thought to himself. He was even seriously considering running around yelling 'the sky is falling, the sky is falling!' Everything depended on their secret being, well, secret. But Mel, with all the mental torment and losses she had suffered through the past days, had seen her mother and her inner child wanted comfort.

Jonas sighed with glum acceptance, as he watched his younger cousin sway a little, trying to remain on her feet. If his mom questioned him, he thought, he would spill. He had inherited his Aunt Phoebe's inability to keep quiet, whereas Mel had taken more after their Aunt Piper, and could keep something quiet…normally.

The three sisters, however, were stunned.

"You-you're my daughter?" Phoebe stuttered. She glanced at Chris. "She's my daughter?"

Chris, Jonas, and Bianca nodded grudgingly. Mel looked at the sisters with raw pride in her self. The way she held herself made it seem that she was used to a rough life.

But the pain and injuries seemed to be too much, and she collapsed in a dead faint on the floor.

"LEO!" Phoebe yelled, and blue orbs filtered into the room as the elder materialized, holding Wyatt.

"Heal," she demanded, and Leo looked down at the woman Phoebe know knelt down by.

He glanced at Piper, and she nodded. He leaned over to, after handing Wyatt of to his ex-wife, but stopped suddenly.

"I don't think doing that is a good idea," he said quietly. Phoebe looked at him with rage.

"She's my daughter, Leo." Phoebe said through her teeth with ire. "She called me Mom, and Chris and Jonas confirmed it."

"She's half-demon," he said, "The elders just jingled me a few minutes ago, telling methat a powerful force was coming, and that it was part demon. This is a ploy that Chris has obviously nefariously thought up to confuse you!" Leo looked sure of himself. He glared toward Chris and saw that both he and the other boy beside him were seething. Bianca looked like she was about to beat him until his limbs were separate from his body.

"Come on, Jonas," Chris said quietly, and shoved Leo to the floor. The two moved toward the fallen woman, and knelt down beside her. Together, they grasped each other's hand and placed them above Mel. Phoebe watched gratefully through tearstained eyes as she saw the yellow glow surround their hands and her daughter's body.

"You can heal?" Leo asked, flabbergasted. Chris had never shown signs of that particular talent.

"Only with me to help him out, jerk," Jonas shot at the elder, still concentrating on Mel. Leo looked puzzled.

"What, do all guys have issues with me in the future?" Leo asked sarcastically.

"Not just guys," a hoarse voice said from behind Jonas and Chris. The sisters ran over to Phoebe and the three from the future. Bianca followed.

Mel slowly sat up, and looked up at the sisters around her.

"Piper, we have a niece!" Paige squeaked with joy.

"What!" Mel said, panicky and them she remembered, "Oh, damn it." She rubbed her forehead with her palm. Jonas and Chris hoisted her up, and she looked around.

"Ooh! Let me hug you!" Phoebe embraced Mel, and swayed slightly. Chris and Jonas rolled their eyes, and were promptlyswatted by Bianca, who stood near them with a watchful eye. She loved sentimental moments, and this was clearly a major one.

"Uh, Mom," Mel gasped, "I kinda, you know, need air!" Phoebe sheepishly released her, and pulled back, studying her.

"So what is your full name?" Phoebe asked lightly. Please say last, please say last, she thought desperately. The half-demon thing threw her off, though. The only demon she would ever consider having a child with would be Cole, and he was, well, dead.

"Melody," she said, smirking. She knew exactly what her mother wanted, and would not give it to her. Mel smiled. "Unlike you, I can keep a secret."

Phoebe looked disappointed. But she would not be put off.

"So," Leo, trying to withdraw more information from the trio, turned to Jonas, "who are you?"

Jonas gulped. Oh drat.

"Umm," he stalled, "I'm just a guy, ya know, a…guy…"

"Who can heal…" Paige continued for him, gesturing with her hand for him to continue.

"Yeah, well…" He was trapped. Don't talk, don't talk, he thought to himself desperately.

"Chris, spell, stat!" he yelled toward his older cousin, and Chris rushed into an incantation he had long ago wrote and memorized, brought on byJonas' habit of spilling secrets.

_Magics of sound, I usher here_

_Let not his words flow to any ear_

_Secret keeper, he is not_

_So let silence be no longer fought_

Jonas breathed a sigh of release, and grinned impishly at the four suspicious people. Mel giggled slightly, and it sounded strange coming from a person dressed in billowing black.

"Muhahaha," Mel said quickly, trying to cover up her girlish giggle from before.

"We've had to use that one a lot," Bianca muttered, and could help but smile at the comically mute man making rude gestures at Leo, followed by an innocent raising of hands to his shoulders. Phoebe stifled a chuckle.

"Okay, bonus round," Piper ordered, "We're going back to the manner to figure this out."

Chris nodded slowly.

"Who needs magical transportation? We orbed her ourselves," Paige called out.

But all but the sisters had already orbed, shimmered, or in Jonas' case, left in purple glitter. Weird…

**Back (or forward, it really depends) in the future, Wyatt was rapidly becoming enraged…**

"You lost them?" he roared, and swung his arm around, sending a table crashing to the floor. The bubbling liquids spilled as the glass vials shattered, escaping onto the rocky floor with a thin red rug, and the lime-green one began to eat away the carpet, and the smell of burning fiber filled the cavernous lair.

"My Lord, it's not our fault…the assassin had a shield…the twerp was protecting her from the womb!"

The demon cowered, and although he was not a short person, he was dwarfed by Lord Wyatt's foreboding manner and powerful stance. He racked his brain for some information that could be used to save his skin.

"Melody and Jonas went to discuss plans with the leprechauns. They were not there!"

"Don't yell excuses at my face, you pathetic worm," and with an arrogant gesture, the demon was promptly blown up. Wyatt waved his arm and the table propped itself back up, and the vials and beakers were replaced instantaneously, as if there had been no spilling at all.

"The Leprechauns," he muttered, as he created a projection of a pleasant meadowland where the short men stood in a circle, their discussion muted, since the holograph contained not sound. "I had forgotten about you…"


	8. Chapter 8

Somewhere in the future, in a small slip between dimensions…

Victor Bennet paced around the hardwood floor, and his polished shoes squeaked as they rubbed against the dustless floorboards. The cozily lit room gave an appearance of relaxation, but inside, Victor was in hell.

Bianca had left him in here, promising he would be safe. The cupboards were stacked with food enough to last six months, but his conscience was nagging at him with undying consistency.

His precious grandson was busily working in the past, and his granddaughter and Jonas, who felt more like family everyday although there wasbiological relation, were using their awesome powers to take down their evil, dictatorial cousin whom Victor rarly refers to or thinks of as his oldest grandson.

While he, the man who promised Piper to look after her sons if anything had ever happened, was stuck in God knows where, helpless.

Orbs interrupted his thoughts and Victor swerved toward them.

"Chris?" Victor said hopefully, dragging himself to his feet as his joints creaked with arthritis.

But as the blue orbs materialized in Leo, he was gravely disappointed.

"You," he muttered, and sat back down.

"Victor?" Leo asked, rushing over to the old grandfather, "what happened?"

Victor looked up at him heatedly as the elder continued.

"I went to the resistance base, and it was empty. What happened there? Did demons attack?"

Victor scowled at him. "You know exactly who attacked…your vile son," he spat the words out.

Leo looked infuriated. He glared at Victor, his eyebrows knit so that they almost touched his nose.

"Don't you dare say such things about my Wyatt! He just doesn't know what he's doing! He would never hurt someone good!" Leo rushed on, until he realized his father-in-law was turning red with anger.

"Your 'beloved' son is ruling the world!" Victor exploded into rage, "he's killing innocent people left and right, whether you want to except it or not!"

Leo crunched up his face

"Piper knew it, too!" he continued, his aged voice strengthening as he spoke, "and that's why she chose Chris to be her successor, not Wyatt. Chris is pure good, and has a heart of gold, whereas Wyatt is corrupted by power."

Leo stomped over to Victor, and held him up against the wall with quivering fists. The old man grasped for breath.

"You just shut your mouth," he warned, "you'll always favor Chris, but Wyatt deserved to be a next generation Charmed One! Why Piper couldn't see it, I'll never understand!"

Jingles began to echo through the room. Leo looked up with his eyes closed for a moment, and opened them a few seconds later.

"Excuse me, Victor," he said curtly, "my son is calling me."

And the elder orbed out, leaving Victor wishing he could speak to his true grandchildren, including Jonas but excluding Wyatt, again.

> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >

Back at the Manor (present day)…

The sisters had decided that Melody could stay at the manor in the spare bedroom, but Jonas had to sleep in the storeroom at the club with Chris. Jonas was upset about this, regardless of what Chris said.

Mel however, refused to stay in the manor if Chris and Jonas were not with her. And with all the protest of the sisters and Leo, they could not sway her otherwise.

Leo, however, was feeling guilty about the way he had treated his newfound nieceat the club. He approached her, under the wary eyes of Chris and Jonas.

"You know," he began, "I can heal that properly for you." He gestured at the scar on her cheek, which was the only visible wound remaining. He reached out his hand, while the golden glow appeared.

Mel pushed him away.

"It was done by a cursed dagger," she said coldly, "No thing or person can heal it, except the person who spelled the knife."

Piper and Paige were shocked, and Phoebe rushed over and hugged her daughter.

"Who would do that?" Paige wondered, aghast. "Some sick and twisted sociopath?"

Mel's eyes darted subtly toward Wyatt, who had just gurgled in his crib, then returned her gaze to the sisters.

"You don't want to know."

Wyatt had felt attention on him for a moment, and orbed directly into Mel's arms. She caught him, surprised and almost frightened. She looked at the toddler, and glanced helplessly at Chris and Jonas, who both made a move toward her.

"No, let her hold her older cousin," Phoebe said, smiling, and unaware of the torture her daughter was being put through as she held the little boy who would grow up to be responsible for her father's and little sister's death.

"No, Mom," Mel said, her voice shaking slightly as she tried to cover the rest of the fear-anger mix up. "It's fine…really…"

As she tried to put him back into the cradle, he reached up to her cheek. His little hands glowed yellow, and the scar that was supposedly permanent, disappeared and wascompletely heal.

Leo practically shined with pride. He looked towards Piper, and she looked as pleased as he was.

"Our little boy is so sweet," Piper said, and she took Wyatt away from Mel and hugged him.

"Powerful too," Leo added, and patted his son on the head. Chris looked like he was about to be sick, and Jonas was turning purple with rage.

Mel felt her chin tenderly, and looked back at the small boy.

"So much for your theory about that knife," Paige said lightly.

"My little boy surpassed all rules and standards," Piper said proudly, and she took Wyatt up to his room, to put him to bed.

Phoebe, however, looked at Mel closely, who after a few seconds, averted her eyes to the ground. She could sense that something was in conflict with her troubled daughter, but the girl could somehow block her empathy. She would crack her eventually.

> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >

In the future Underworld

"Son, you called me."

Leo orbed directly into the lair, and the darklighter hidden in the shadows was practically drooling. He cursed under his breath. Being this close to an elder and not being able to shoot at it was infuriating.

Lord Wyatt turned around. He smiled at his father kindly, and Leo's worries created from his conversation with Victor earlier dissipated instantaneously. How could his son possibly be evil?

"Hi Dad!" Wyatt said happily, and rushed to hug his father. The darklighter set his jaw, and grinded his teeth. He hated sentimental crap, even if his master was just acting.

"Son, I've been so worried about you," Leo murmured into Wyatt's shoulder. Wyatt almost moaned with disgust. But he needed information about Chris. His father was extraordinarily gullible, but there was no need to provoke risks that could be altogether avoided.

"Dad, I haven't seen Chris in a while," he said casually after stepping away from his father, "do you know where he is?"


	9. Chapter 9

My appologies to all my readers. I unitentionally married Paige to both Richard and Kyle. I fixed it: she's married to Richard. Again, very sorry, and thank you for pointing that out.

At the Manor…

The three young men and woman from the future crept up the stairs, remembering from their childhood the creaky steps.

"Mel," Jonas whispered to her, as he noted that she had taken the lead, "two steps up from you."

The girl leapt lightly over several steps, using carefully honed levitation.

"Show off," Chris muttered.

Mel smirked, and shimmered away, obviously up to the attic, where they all were heading.

Chris caught a glance of the starless sky out of the window. He thought of Bianca, who was resting back at the club, where they all still slept. Mel had refused to move into the manor without her cousins. And since the sisters still distrusted Chris, they refused.

Jonas, hitting him softly on the shoulder, stirred him from his thought. Jonas gestured to the spot and rolled his eyes.

Chris and Jonas carefully made their way up the stairs to the attic. Not wanting to alert the sisters, they had made sure to wait until an unseemly hour, when they were sure to be asleep.

They made it up to the attic with minimal risks, aside from Jonas almost knocking over a picture frame that hung up on the wall.

When they entered the attic, they began to relax. Mel was already flipping through the pages, looked for the summoning spell.

"So," Chris whispered, "which leprechauns are we summoning?"

In the Future…

The pleasantly lit meadow glistened with dewdrops. Those who were fortunate enough to see this place often marveled at the contrast between it and the outside world. It smelled sweetly of berries and honeysuckle, and bagpipes, pan flutes, and lyres could be heard softly from the distance, where the leprechauns practiced their merry tunes.

Rainbows scatted the skies, and the small Irish men shot from place to place. A company of eight people stood awkwardly in the field, seeming to be giants among the wee little folk.

All of them wore scruffy clothing that had been put through countless battles. Dark patches remained of blood spilled, both good and evil, which contrasted greatly with the light shades they all wore, with an exception of one person.

Cole Turner, sometimes better known as Belthazor, who was dressed in dark blues and blacks, knelt down to one of the leprechauns that were tending the wounds of the small girl next to him. The girl was no more than eight, and her dark brown hair was flecked with auburn. She clung tightly to a stuffed bear, and her tear-stained eyes looked up at Cole, her love and loyalty unwavering.

"Somebody needs to tell my eldest daughter that we're here," he demanded softly, meaning no disrespect to the little people. The leprechaun looked up at his, and smiled weakly.

"Aye, we tried to get the word out," he said sadly, "but we little people hear tell that those two went to the past, during the reign of the Charmed Ones."

"We should have never left those bodies there," a blonde woman standing nearby said angrily, "We should have died taking our revenge!"

The small child whimpered and clung to Cole, and he tried to console her.

"Ella, it'll be okay," he murmured, "Daddy's here, everything will be fine."

She nodded slightly, and released her hold on her father, wiping the tears away. He kissed her forehead, and then turned his attention back to the leprechaun.

"She thinks we're dead," Cole began, "Jonas too." "When they saw our bodies, she must have…they both must have…"

"Acted with vengeance like we should have?" the same woman interrupted bluntly. Cole turned and glared.

"Teresa! Will you be quiet?" he said through his teeth, "Those fake bodies saved our lives. We couldn't have save everybody. We weren't there!"

"What happened?" the leprechaun asked tentatively, hoping to draw these away from the subject.

The teenage boy spoke up from behind the woman.

"Uncle Cole is right," he said quietly. The leprechaun looked at him questionably.

"Who are you?"

"Michael Haliwell" he replied, then got back to his account.

"We were scouting out new spots for the Resistance Headquarters, and all the adult here are all part of the field team," he began, "Ella came with her father because she was scared to leave his side since her older sister, Mel, wasn't there. Dad, or Richard Montana," he corrected, and gestured to him among the crowd, "took me with him because he's been really protective since Mom died." He paused for a moment, and the little man could tell that he was remembering awful memories.

Another man took up the tale. Unlike Michael's pale appearance and red hair, this man was black, muscular, and tall.

"We found nothing with much promise, so we went back to Base. We found demons all over it, and all of our fellow fighters and resistors dead…even the children and helpless humans…" he trailed off, as his mind replayed the atrocious images burned into his eyes.

"And you are…" the leprechaun prompted, trying to get all the names straight.

The man looked down again at the little man.

"I'm David, Melody's fiancé, this is Teresa," he gestured to the woman who had been keen on revenge, "she's dating Jonas."

The blonde haired woman crossed her arms, still upset that she wasn't allowed to leave, and fight the demons that had killed their people.

David continued to introduce people.

"The black haired girl with a paler complexion is Shannon; she's a school friend of Michael's. That's Richard, Paige Matthew's husband, with the Polo shirt, and the twin boys are Byron and Sean. We rescued them from Wyatt's forces a few years back when their parents were killed."

The leprechaun was stunned to be in company with such well-known people. He bowed awkwardly the way little Irish men do, and reached out to shake David's hand.

"Pleased to meet you, good man," he said graciously, "Me name is Conner, and I pledge that we little people will do all in our power to help you."

"Thanks," Cole replied, "but right now I think that Ella could use some rest."

"Certainly, certainly," Conner said, and gestured to several other leprechauns, "Follow me and mine, and we'll get you all settled in."

The second generation Charmed Ones flipped through the book, as the grim reality of the situation was sinking in.

"The spell hasn't been written yet!" Jonas whispered furiously, "Mom hasn't needed it yet!"

"Was it Paige who wrote it?" Mel asked; she had never cared much for the history of her mother and aunts. She had been more concerned with demonic aspect – fight fire with fire was her principle.

"Yep," said Chris, who was the complete opposite. Every historical account he could get his hands on was dissected so many ways that it gave Mel a headache. Chris had wanted nothing to do with his father's side.

"Great," Mel said sullenly. She closed the book with a soft thump.

"Does anyone remember it?" she asked. Both men shook their heads. Mel sighed, and turned toward the trunk pushed up against the attic wall.

"What are you doing?" Jonas questioned quietly, when he saw her open it and begin to rifle through it.

"Looking for paper and pen," she said without turning around. Moments later, she got up and tossed the pad of paper toward Chris, followed by a pen. He caught both, and sat down at the table, thinking of a spell.

"Doesn't it need to be blessed by a leprechaun?" Jonas wondered. Mel shrugged her shoulders and looked at Chris. He looked up with annoyance.

"Well, it all we've got going for us," he said quietly, "the leprechauns are one of the Resistance's only ally's that are willing to act. They'll be able to tell us what happened to Base and who's responsible."

"Besides Wyatt?" Mel remarked bitterly. Jonas silently agreed.

"Wyatt was most defiantly behind the attack, but from what you say, they knew exactly what they were doing. There had to be an inside source – a traitor."

"How can you all be so calm about this!" Mel said angrily, and Jonas and Chris had to shush her before she woke the sisters up. "My father, little sister and fiancé died!"

"You're not the only one who lost someone," Jonas remarked quietly. Mel looked at him with anger.

"I lost me little brother! And father! And girlfriend!" Jonas said, with his fists clenched. And Chris lost his close friends!"

Jonas calmed down, and took a few deep breaths before he began again.

"But we need to stay calm. It's the only way we can beat this."

Mel nodded her head, and extinguished the fireball that had grown from anger and grief behind her back.


	10. Chapter 10

At the manor, Phoebe began to dream…

_She walked into the manor, and the sun shone brightly through the stained-glass windows. Sounds of children playing in the conservatory caught her attention. Phoebe walked into the cheerful room, and found three children, all about ten years old, tossing a small blue ball around._

_She knew them._

_She reached over to the girl, who was telekinetically throwing the ball to a brown-haired boy, who looked a little older than her. Phoebe scooped up her daughter, and spun her around. _

"_Mommy…" the little girl , "I was winning!"_

_The brown-haired boy stuck his tongue out at her, and passed it quickly to the other, younger boy. He passed it to the empty spot where Melody had been, and it dropped to the floor._

"_Ha!" the oldest boy cried, and jumped triumphantly. Mel struggled out of her mothers grasp and charged up an energy ball at him. He stuck out his tongue again and crossed his arms._

"_Chris, be nice to your cousin," Phoebe scolded._

"_Fine," he said, chagrined._

"_And Mel," Phoebe continued, "get rid of that energy ball." Mel obeyed, and smirked at Chris._

"_Jonas, what are you laughing at," a voice said from the hall. Phoebe spun around and was face to face with her oldest nephew. _

"_Hey Wyatt!" Jonas said eagerly, "Chris just got in trouble!"_

"_Yeah, whatever," the thirteen-year old said dismissively, and he orbed out._

_Phoebe's eyes stayed frozen to the spot where the sullen teenager had disappeared from. He had been like that ever since Piper had named Chris as the next Charmed One from her line, the one who was join Melody and Jonas as the recipients of the power of three when they died. But Phoebe had understood her sister's reasoning behind her decision; they all did, except for Leo._

_Footsteps were suddenly heard from the next room. Paige walked in, and Jonas ran up to her._

"_Mommy!" Jonas cried, and leaped on top of his mother. She pulled him up and groaned._

"_Jonas, sweetie, you're getting too big for this!" she said with fake exhaustion. Her son grinned impishly._

"_How was Magic School?" Phoebe asked lightly, while trying to get a speck of dirt off her daughter's forehead, as Chris watched on with amusement._

_"It was alright," she said, "Your husband gave Wyatt another detention today."_

_Piper, having heard that from the kitchen, walked in._

_"What was it this time?" she said, exasperated._

"_Why don't you guys go upstairs to play?" Paige suggested, and the three children grudgingly trumped up the stairs._

_"He was using his powers on his fellow students," Paige answered quietly, once the thunderous stamping sounds stopped. She straightened out her black teaching robes, "and not in a healing capacity."_

"_Have you talked to Leo about this?" Phoebe asked. Piper looked down at the floor._

"_He refuses to believe that his twice-blessed son could ever need disciplinary action." Piper looked a little angry. "And he won't even acknowledge Chris, who is an absolute angel."_

"_I told Cole not to let him off of the dentention, even if Leo comes down to try to convince him otherwise," Paige said, "But I don't think Leo will be happy about that."_

"_He just needs to accept it," Piper said quietly, "Wyatt is abusing his powers."_

The scene dissolved in a swirl of colors, and black returned for a moment under Phoebe's eyelids before she awoke with a start.

"Oh my god."

Phoebe quickly dressed herself by moonlight, and headed downstairs. The grandfather clock read about three in the morning, but the time really didn't matter right now. Several thoughts were flying through her mind.

_Chris, the neurotic, pain in the ass whitelighter, is my nephew: Piper and Leo's son._

_Jonas, the comical boy who cannot keep secrets, is my nephew too: Paige's son._

_Cole is Melody's father… I marry Cole – again._

Phoebe walked into the kitchen, and started the coffee maker, and sat down, rubbing her temples. She was in turmoil.

Chris and Jonas – she could handle them being her nephews. Chris was heroic, self-sacrificing, and defiantly good, once you ruled out him being evil. And Jonas – he was just plain funny.

But what disturbed her was the Cole aspect. She was going to marry him again, and the scariest part of that was…that she didn't think it was that frightful. She was actually happy that he was going to be alive again, and still in love with her. Most of all, he would be good, and would give her a beautiful daughter.

That thought was comforting and terrifying at the same time.

She heard soft footsteps down the stairs, and turned to face the hallway. Melody, in her black, billowing cloak, was looking down at the floor, and didn't notice her mother until she almost ran into her.

"Um…sorry," she said, softly, and reached over to the fridge. Phoebe nodded.

"Do you mind if…" she asked, trailing off.

"Oh," Phoebe said, pulled from her thoughts of how much that cloak resembled the one Cole had worn when he was part of the Brotherhood of the Thorn. "Help yourself, sweetie."

"Thanks," she mumbled, and pulled an apple out.

"What are you doing here?" Phoebe questioned gently. Mel looked up, having been concentrating a little too much on eating her apple. "I thought that you were staying at P3."

"I can keep secrets, unlike you," she said, trying to sound cold and arrogant, but it came out sad and lonely.

"So, your father is Cole." It wasn't a question, but almost a conversational statement, like two friend discussing what movie they had just seen.

Her daughter almost dropped the half eaten apple.

"What…how…" was all she could manage.

"Premonition as a dream," Phoebe said simply, and Mel gapped at her.

"You…you…you're not supposed to know that…" she mumbled looking scared.

"What is he doing now?" she asked quietly, her empathy picking up on some deep sadness now that shock had broken down her daughter's barrier.

Mel's eyes began to brim with tears. Phoebe got up and embraced her daughter as she broke down, and sobbed into her shoulder.

"He's dead," she wailed, the sounds, for the most part, muffled by her mother's shirt. "He's dad, and Ella's dead…I'm the only one left. Chris and Jonas are all I have…"

Phoebe just hugged her daughter, as her heart broke for her daughter - and herself.

The sun rose and the light streamed in through the attic window. Downstairs, Melody and Phoebe were asleep on the couch,while Chris and Jonas slept strewn across the attic chairs.

Piper woke up and stretched. She heard Paige yawn from the room nextdoor. The eldest sister stumbled out of bed and into the bathroom, where she showered and freshened up.

Paige, however, made her way up to the attic immediatly, after only pulling on a comfortable pair of jeans and a T-shirt.

Chris was the first to hear the danty steps echo through the manor. But as he wiped the sleep from his eyes, and noticed Jonas stir, it was too late. Paige opened the door and halted in the doorway upon seeing the two men.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded, eyeing them suspisiously.

"We were summoning leprechauns," Jonas muttered sleepily, and yawned.

Chris kicked him from under the table. The younger man groaned deeply, and brushed his hand through his red hair.

"Leprechauns?" Paige said questionably.

"What a weird dream you had, Jonas,"a nervous Chris remarked, as Phoebe and Mel entered the room, still tired.

"Mel!" Jonas cried out, trying to shift the subject. "Hey!"

"You are way to perky," Mel said, and eyed them both.They translated it as _we need to talk._

"Alright, we better go," Chris said firmly, and gestured to Jonas to stand up.

"See ya!" Jonas said, as he transported out, after his more serious cousins left.

Golden Gate Bridge...

Mel looked out at the city, and observed all that she could see. People walking to work, buying coffee from vendors, and children making their way to school all seemed so innocent, so unaware of what would become of them a mere 20 years from now.

She turned around when she heard the tinkle of orbs, and the popping of purple glitter. Jonas and Chris looked at her with anticipation, and she nodded her head.

"They know." The two looked at her with shock.

"How?" Chris asked.

"How much?" Jonas corrected. Chris looked at her.

"She knows that you two are her nephews," she said, "that Cole is my father, and which sister you two are related to."

"My father?" Jonas asked, almost hopfully.

"Wyatt?" Chris asked with painful fear, and to his relief, his younger cousin shook her head.

"What do we do?" Jonas looked from one cousin to the other. Mel shrugged, but Chris began to speak.

"First," he began, "we find out if Phoebe has told the others, and if she hasn't we tell her enough to prevent her from doing just that."

"Then," he continued, "we can probably tell Piper and Paige some, so Phoebe doesn't..."

"Spill the beans," Jonas finished.

All three left the bridge, en route to the manor.


	11. Chapter 11

Note: This chapter is a long one, and an important one. Also, is this fic getting worse? The review rate is slowing down, so I thought I'd ask. If it's bad, please just say so; I wouldn't waste my time if that's the case. This is my first story, so it's all kind of new to me.

In the afternoon, at the manor…

Bianca shimmered into the manner, and looked around carefully. All seemed quiet and at peace, like it had been in P3.

Which is exactly what was bothering her.

She knew she was on Wyatt's most wanted list right now, while Mel and Jonas had been on there since they refused to join him. He should have sent someone by now… and the fact that no one had tried anything worried her.

A shadow appeared against the white walls of the manor's conservatory. The phoenix immediately crouched down in an offensive position, mostly out of habit; she hadn't sensed any real danger to her orher baby. And vigorous training since she was eight had made her senses more attuned then the average witch or demon.

"So."

Leo stepped out of the hallway, and crossed his arms. Bianca stood up straight and looked him straight in the eye. Oh, how she hated this man. Her blood boiled being in such close proximity to him.

"What do you want, elder?" she spat, and he maintained his cold, smug smile.

"I want to know how you and your fiancé plan to hurt my son," he shot back, and expected her to recoil. But she stood her ground.

"That's all you're really concerned about, aren't you?" she stalled, trying to think of a convincing lie that would get him off her back. Her mind, however, was blank.

"Nothing is more important to me than my family," he said passionately, his emotionless stance faltering for a moment. He recovered himself shortly.

"Chris," Bianca began, "as well as Jonas and Mel, would sacrifice their lives if it meant Wyatt was safe from evil. You and the sisters are just too pigheaded to realize this!"

Leo was aghast by her point of view, but she continued before he could say anything.

"Chris is here trying to save the world!" she yelled, her anger rising, and overcoming her common sense. "He had been working so hard just to help you morons and you stupid son, and all you ever do is distrust him! My god!"

She charged up an energy ball, but as it was released, aimed at Leo's gut, it burst into a patch of breathtaking fireworks, whose beauty was undermined by a groan from Bianca.

"Come on, baby. Mommy wants to fight a little."

Leo, however, had no such handicap. Fuel by rage, his hands crackled with bright blue bolts of lightning. With his face crunched up, and his hands shaking with unrestrained power, he glared menacing at Bianca, who threw her hand toward her stomach in a defensive position, trying to protect her unborn child.

"Never. Insult. My. Son." Leo growled inhumanly. Bianca's shield shot up around her, and Leo's lightning was deferred.

Both fighters were so focused on each other and the feeling of loathing they held for each other, that neither noticed Phoebe's heels clack down the stairs and dart into the room.

"Leo, Bianca!" she cried, as she saw her brother-in-law about to kill her niece-in-law and her unborn baby, "Stop, it Leo! She's pregnant! The stress could kill the baby!"

"The 'baby' is spawn," he snarled, and Bianca's eyes widened.

"Don't you dare say that about it!" she said, enraged. "Someday, he or she will be more powerful than your first-born!"

She drew her breath in quickly, realizing what a terrible mistake she had made. Saying firstborn could imply that there was a second child. Hopefully, he didn't catch it, but know would be a good time to shimmer out.

"Liar!" Oh, good. He didn't. Bianca prepared to shimmer out with an impish smile on her face, while knowing that Chris would be very mad that she went out. All well. She'd jump off that bridge when she got there. But then she glanced at Phoebe's menacing glare.

Future, in the Valley of the Leprechauns…

Ella sat quietly in the meadow, playing with several colorful flowers she had picked. So far, she had managed to tie them together and lop them into a circle. Unfortunately, it was too big for her head; whenever she put it on, it slid down and hung around her neck like a necklace. Now, she was intently focused on fixing it properly.

Several yards off, where a circle of logs and rocks lay, a meeting was being held with the leprechauns and the "big people." Cole, however, kept a close eye on his youngest daughter as he tried to pay attention to the various arguments being held.

Teresa was speaking, and many of the audience were shaking their head in dismay. Her plan of action was violent and bloody, and would achieve very little. Cole and Richard looked at each other as David hung his head, ashamed of her.

"No, no, no!" Quincey hollered, his short legs not allowing him much height or visual notice. "We mustn't risk our numbers. Chargin' into Wyatt'slair wouldn't leave much survivors, eh?"

"I concur!" Michael yelled, thrilled to be participating in the debate, like one of the adults. Richard smiled at his enthusiasm; he was so much like his mother.

"Me too!" said Shannon, grinning at Michael. Teresa glared at them both.

"This isn't a place for children," she said pompously, and Michael glared back at her.

"Be quiet, Teresa," Cole muttered. He glanced back at Ella again, and she waved at him, content. Cole managed a smile.

"I think," David began quietly, and his voice rose with encouragement from his future father and uncle –in-laws, "that we should send someone back to the past, just to tell the two what happened. Then, after consulting them, we could consider a proper plan of action."

Cole nodded in agreement, and so did many others at the circle.

"All in favor?" Conner asked, and raised his own hand. "1…2…3…4…5…" he continued counting, as the majority of the hands went up.

"19 out of 20," he announced. All looked at Teresa, who was the only one against. Huffily, she raised her hand as well.

"Who gets to go?" she asked sullenly. Conner looked around.

"I nominate Cole."Many nods accompanied it.

"Why, Conner of the Finnegan Clan?" an older leprechaun asked.

"He's the most powerful one," he said in reply, "also, he knows the sisters and the manor the best. He could avoid getting caught."

"So could I!" Teresa announced. Conner just glared, and she quieted.

Cole nodded in agreement to Connor's plan, but a thought entered his mind as he checked on Ella yet again.

"I'm bringing Ella." It wasn't a question, but a statement, and the other members knew it. If he was to go, so would she.

"Agreed. You leave in an hour."

Back in the Past…

Phoebe glanced between Leo and Bianca, and her gaze seemed to stun Bianca. There was no shimmering out of this one.

"What the hell is going on!" Phoebe demanded. Leo looked sheepish, like he was a young boy being scolded.

Bianca, however, confessed about their little fight. Phoebe ends up marrying a demon; she had the advantage.

"Nothing."

"She insulted Wyatt! She claimed her…spawn…would be more powerful than my precious little boy."

That's a good possibility, Phoebe reasoned mentally. With parents like his/hers, how could it not be?

"Phoebe?" Leo prompted, "She has attacked the dignity of your nephew and this family. You cannot, in all seriousness, be taking her side?"

"Nice words you've got there, Leo," Bianca taunted, "especially for your intelligence level." Leo went to swing at her, but it deflected off of the still active shield.

"How old are we?" Phoebe reminded, surprised by the childish behavior being shown by the two rivals. Leo began to look more abashed. Bianca glared at Leo.

"Ok, I've come to my decision," Phoebe announced. They looked at her, for once sharing similar feelings.

"Since when are you the judge and jury?" Bianca snapped.

"Yeah?" Leo finished.

"Shut up, both of you," Phoebe continued. She put her hands on her hips and waited for them to stop being argumentative.

"Leo, go check on Piper. She's at the club, and is feeling uneasy about the whole 'future people' thing. Bianca, you come with me. I need to talk to you."

Leo smirked and orbed off. But not to Piper. His heightened elder senses was picking up something in the underworld.

The phoenix turned and looked at the Charmed One like one would look at their executioner.

"So," Phoebe began, drawing out the syllables, "you're about to marry my nephew."

Bianca looked down at the ground. She had figured that was coming.

"What else do you know?"

In the Underworld…(still past)

Mel jumped up into the air, and kicked the slime demon in the jaw. It howled in agony and stumbled to the ground, while green pus leaked out of several holes in its body.

"Grafraphrash shafrsphsugg!" It hollered out. Mel, who had learned the majority of demonic languages, laughed lightly, for the demon had yelled 'you crazy witch-child!' Sweat poured out of her forehead as she continued her favorite exercise: beat a demon using no magic.

"Jawsquef ramishgu ladfrished!" she mocked. It meant 'an ant could eat your mother.' It was a grave insult among these demons and many others, apparently. She had heard her father yell it once before at a Kazi demon, when it attacked her little sister.

Thinking of her father caused her to add more force to the various kicks and punches she threw at the demon. Finally, so bored with the fight, she conjured an athame and stabbed the demon.

As she absorbed the rather interesting demonic slime power, she thought back to her childhood. Her ability, shared by all upper-level demons, to steal powers with an athame once a demon was vanquished was a constant excuse for the rest of the sisters and their respective husbands to hate her. The only people who ever loved her were her fellow Charmed Ones, and her direct family.

Leo, especially, as well as Wyatt even before he turned, seemed to harbor feeling of revulsion, apparent every time they laid eyes on her, even when she was a young child. It was horrible to know that people hated her just for the way she was born.

A tinkle of orbs announced the entrance of a whitelighter. Old habits caused her to summon a darklighter's crossbow she had acquired when she had befriended a variety of demons in the Underworld, shortly after Wyatt rise to power. Being half demon and half witch allowed her to do things like that.

To her dismay, the orbs materialized into Leo, who looked very cross.

"What are you doing here?" they said simultaneously to each other. Melody shuddered. The thought of thinking the same way Leo did was disgusting.

"Where did you get that?" Alarmed by the crossbow she held pointed at him, he stuttered, and backed away a few paces. She looked down at the weapon, and back up at him, and a smile began to spread across her slime and dirt covered face.

"I make friends easily," was all she said, as she continued to point the poisonous arrows at Leo, just to watch him squirm. Watching him like that was well worth the scolding she'd get from the others.

"If you dare go near my son with that…" he trailed off, intending for her to imagine the most horrific punishment she could think of.

"You'll do what?" she laughed, "glare at me? Hate me? Well, Uncle Leo, you've already done that. Since I was five."

"You're a demon!" he cried out, "Good is supposed to hate you!"

She shook her head sadly at him, and tried to hold in tears.

"That's your problem, Leo," she said with a quivering voice, "the only second generation Haliwell you could stand was your precious Wyatt. The rest of us were never good enough for you."

"Us?" Leo caught the plural. "There are more of you?"

Mel realized her mistake.

"Of course." She said plainly, sounding sure of herself, like she meant to say it. The worst thing to do was to draw attention to Chris' and Jonas' identity.

"Do…do I have any more children?" he stammered, shocked by her revelation. Though, he thought to himself, he should have gone over that possibility. But that means…

"Piper and I are back together in the future?" Leo was in awe of the possibilities, and his old hatred of Chris once again bubbled up. "Screwing with the timeline…Chris ruined my marriage with Piper."

"That was not his intentions…believe me," Mel said seriously, "He didn't even consider the consequences. All he cared about was saving Wyatt, thus the rest of the world."

Her crossbow disappeared in a puff of black smoke.

"Well, I'll leave you to think about that," she started, as she wiped green guck off of her athame, scraping it against the rock. "Bye now."

And she shimmered out, leaving a confused Leo in her wake. The rest of the world?


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I do not own Charmed, or the WB. Although if I did own them, I must say: many things would have been different…

Recap of the new characters (since I know it must be confusing):

Jonas (Haliwell) and Michael Haliwell – Paige and Richard's sons

Melody (Mel) Haliwell and Ella Haliwell – Phoebe and Cole's daughters

Shannon – school friend of Michael's

Teresa – girlfriend of Jonas

David – fiancé of Melody's

Bryon and Sean – two young boys rescued by the resistance against Wyatt (dead parents)

**The moon rose over the manor…**

A portal opened, and blue light emitted from it, splashing across the attic. Quickly, it became the brightest source or light, overcoming the faint glow of the moon.

Bagpipes, crickets, and little voices could be heard from its depths, and if anyone had been there, it would become apparent to them that the portal originated from a place of joy and peace.

Cole Turner and his youngest daughter Ella tumbled out of the rapidly disappearing portal. With a soft thud, they sprawled across the hardwood floor. Cole tried his best to break his daughter's fall.

The portal stopped, and vanished from the wall. All was silent in the attic once more, except for the heavy breathing of the future visitors.

Ella, in her quiet, eight-year-old voice, finally broke the silence.

"Daddy," she asked, "are we gonna see Melly again? Is she here?"

Cole looked down at her, and brushed a few stray strand of hair away from her eyes. How innocent she was…

"We are," he spoke quietly, remembering that Piper was a light sleeper, as was Paige, he now recalled. Phoebe wasn't in this time. But that all changed when Melody was born. He grinned at the fond memories.

"Do you want to right now?" he asked, and the little girl broke out into a grin, then nodded vigorously. Cole smiled as well.

He stood up, dragging the girl with him. Then, as Ella watched on in fascination, he began his call he had used so many times after…after Phoebe had died.

He concentrated hard. When he felt prepared, he called out her name silently, and waited until his mental call reached across the dimensions to her.

**In P3…**

"You what!"

Melody flinched, as Chris exploded.

"I just showed him my crossbow that could actually kill his son." Mel said, trying to make the content of her statement seem less radical by the tone of her voice. It wasn't working.

"Melody Haliwell! Why?" Jonas, also realizing the crucial manner of the situation, and scolded his older cousin.

"Hey," Mel suggested, "why don't you yell at her?" She gestured to Bianca in a desperate attempt to get the attention off of her.

"She has only revealing what Phoebe already knew…because of you." Chris glared.

"I can't keep a secret – sue me." Mel muttered. Chris and Jonas glared at her.

"Mel, you—" But they stopped when they saw her look down on the ground, then up at the ceiling, as if she was listening.

"Dad…" she whispered.

"Mel?" Bianca said quietly. Mel looked at them all.

"He's…alive…"

**Back at the attic…**

"Daddy, is she comin'?"

Cole looked down at the small child, and smiled weakly. He so hoped Ella wouldn't be disappointed, but he didn't know what to do if she didn't come. His whole plan centered on Melody finding them, not the other way around. If he had to shimmer all around San Francisco, they would definitely be recognized - by good or evil, probably both.

"Daddy! Look!"

Ella stood up, and ran over to the corner of the room. Cole whirled around, and saw his eldest daughter with tears flowing freely, squat down and embrace her younger sister.

"Ella!" Mel sobbed, and squeezed her. Ella giggled happily, and rested her head on her sister's shoulder.

Cole smiled with relief, and the joy he was feeling almost leaked into his tear ducts. Mel, peering over her little sister's head, looked at him with shinning eyes.

Ella, noticing what was happening, released her sister, and gestured, almost like giving permission.

"Dad…" The teenager rushed into her fathers arm, and he twirled her around as if she was still a child. "I thought…I thought…"

"Yeah," he said quietly, "we came just as the demons began to expect the grounds. It was our opportunity to be dead to Wyatt." He looked at her intently. "I'm so sorry. But it was a chance we couldn't pass up. Teresa could conjure those bodies, so we went for it."

"So the entire scout team is still alive!" she said in awe and happiness. She still did not release his arm from her grip.

"Yes; they're all safe in the Valley of the Leprechauns."

"David?" she said quietly. Cole smiled and nodded.

"Do you still not like him?" she asked tentatively. Cole thought for a moment.

"Melody," he began, "all fathers are a bit…uneasy…about their daughters' boyfriends, and fiancés."

"Uneasy?" she laughed, "you conspired with Ella, who was six, to scare him away—"

"Completely normal."

"By enchanting his food to talk to him, and him alone. I thought he was insane when he was trying to convince his tomatoes to stop sing "Mary Had a Little Lamb!"

"A father has to do what a father has to do," he said solemnly. Mel cracked a smile.

"So, back to the point," Cole started up. "The eight…" he trailed off, as the images of the hundreds of bloodies flashed through his memories.

"Dad?" she asked gently. He looked back up at her.

"The eight surviving members of the resistance, we're unsure of what to do next. Teresa, she—"

"Wants to attack Wyatt and die honorably, yeah, I figured. She's got them Valkerie genes in her – they're always too trigger-happy." Mel rolled her eyes as her grammar slipped. Cole looked at her meanfully.

"What does everybody else want to do?" she continued at her.

Cole shrugged his shoulders.

"Most are too afraid to act, after what happened to the…others," he said uneasily. "And since you, Chris, and Jonas are the most powerful resistance members, they think your input and opinions should have the greatest impact on our plans."

"Oh, great," Mel said sarcastically. Cole offered her a sympathetic look.

"Mom's here," she said, changing the subject. Ella, who was wandering around in a corner looking at several artifacts, perked her head up, toward Mel.

"She knows who I am," Melody said, ashamed.

"What?" Cole whispered furiously, while trying to ignore the pounding inside his chest. Phoebe was alive in this time; she was here.

Ella, however, realized the possibilities in an instant. Before any could stop her, she shimmered out.

"Oh, no," both father and daughter muttered, before shimmering out after her.

**Phoebe's Bedroom…**

Phoebe awoke with a start, as a soft thud sounded off by the side of her bed.

"Ugh," she yawned, tired. So much had happened that day; she was in dire need of sleep to handle it.

"Mommy?" a soft voice asked from the left of her bed.

Phoebe froze. The voice was too little and high-pitched for Melody.

"Ella," a man whispered furiously. Phoebe reached over for the bedside lamp.

"Daddy, she's alive…" The light lit up the room; Phoebe turned toward the voices – and gasped.

"Cole?"

She looked at him, while her eyes took in every change. The light gray highlights in his normally dark brown hair, several wrinkles, made from both worry and laughs, his alert expression, and his overprotectivness that she knew so well took her breath away.

It was Cole...a truly good Cole.

Her door swund open, and Piper and Paige sprung through. They haulted as soon as their eyes caught Cole.

"You're...dead!" Paige exclaimed.

"No, he's not!" little Ella yelled at her.

Paige was thrown into the wall by the force of Ella's voice, which seemed to be the outlet for her power. Piper brought up her hands.

"NO!" Phoebeleapt out of bed, and sheildingElla from Piper's rage.

"Phoebe, she's a demon!"

"She's my daughter!" Phoebe said back, looking deep into Piper's eyes.

The other two sisters' eyes widened.

"What?" Paige whispered unbelievably. Piper's wordless expression mirrored his youngest sister's shock.

"Melody told me that Cole was her father, and that she," she gestured to Ella behind her, "was her little sister."

"Mommy," Ella said, awestruck. Cole scooped her up with a groan.

"Well, Mel," he said to his oldest daughter, "have fun with this.I need to get her out of her before she says anything else."

Ella grinned impishly, and they both shimmered out.


	13. Chapter 13

Note: Short chapter - sorry.

**Phoebe's Bedroom...**

Mel watched her father shimmer out with her sister. Sighing, she turned to face her mother and aunts. This is not going to be good, she thought to her self.

But unimaginable relief had flooded through her, and even the risks of future consequences seemed trivial to her compared to the greater scheme of things. He father was alive, her sister was alive, and her fiancé was alive. Life was, once again, all right (considering her cousin was an evil dictator ruling over the world and she was stuck in the past, this is saying something.)

Piper and Paige, however, were not feeling so happy and forgiving of the world. Cole, their sworn nemesis, was going to be resurrected in the near future and once again marry their sister. This day, as early as it was, was not turning out to be a fine one in the least. Plus, they were deprived of their much-needed beauty sleep. That was never good.

**One hour later...**

"So…" Phoebe said, drawing out the word as she studies the others.

She, her sisters, Melody, Chris, Jonas, and Bianca were standing in the living room. Chris, Jonas, and Bianca were wearing similar expressions of that of her daughter: joy. Phoebe assumed that the news that Cole and Ella lived meant that some of their loved ones were also safe.

Paige simply looked exasperated, and all the news that bombarded her an hour ago was having trouble sinking in. Piper was hollering for Leo, glaring angrily at the ceiling.

The disheveled elder orbed in a few minutes later, and his normally sparkling and clean robes dripped with slime. Mel burst out laughing, and Leo shot a fierce look at her, only causing the giggling to step up in intensity.

"Honey, what happened?" Piper asked gently, forgetting for a moment that they were divorced.

"She," he pointed to Melody, "can use athames to steal powers from demons."

Leo looked around triumphantly. "And," he continued, "She has a darklighter crossbow. She's evil!"

"Hey!" Phoebe defended her daughter, and was rewarded by a smile from Mel.

"Um, Leo?" Piper interrupted, "we have another problem. Cole is her father."

"What!" he exploded. The Charmed Ones shrunk back slightly.

"Yeah," Paige took up, "and he's here."

The elders face went from confusion to shock to rage in less than five seconds. Bianca cracked a smile, as she thoroughly enjoyed Leo's psychological torment. Chris nudged her gently, as if telling her to save it for another time. However, he too was entertained by his father's horror. Wait 'til he finds out that his second son is to be married to a demon, he though wickedly.

"I have a confession to make," Phoebe announced, and the expressions of every future person in the room changed. Chris cringed inwardly, Mel rolled her eyes, Jonas's eyes lit up in pure joy, and Bianca huffed.

"What?" Leo and her sisters asked.

"Chris is-- ," She was cut off by her nephew, who leapt forward in a futile gesture to cover her mouth. Piper, however, shoved him back. Not wanting to fight with his mother, he stayed on the ground, looking up in panic.

"Mom!" Mel yelled. Phoebe looked over apologetically at her.

"They should know," she said, "it would help protect Wyatt, which is what you want to do, right?"

"Ok, if it's 'spill all' time, we get to do it." Jonas proclaimed. Chris and melody gave up, and accepted their fate. Jonas began to speak:

"Chris, Melody, and I are the second generation Charmed Ones."

"What!" Piper, Paige and Leo exclaimed.

"Please, no interruptions." Jonas asked prissily, as if he was a schoolteacher. All nodded in dismayed agreement.

"I am Paige's son, by a father whom I won't say. I have a little brother named Michael, and a girlfriend, Teresa."

"More like girl-fiend," Mel injected.

"I said no interruptions, Melody," Jonas glared, "I meant you, too."

She rolled her eyes.

Paige, however, was startled. He was her son?

"Chris, over here," he slung his arm around one of his cousin's shoulders, "is my cousin, the second child of Piper and Leo. Ta-da! You've been suspicious and cruel to your own child. The good one, too!"

Leo's jaw slacked.

"Catching flies?" Jonas remarked, and he shut it.

"Wyatt, in our time, is an evil, calculating dictator who uses Excalibur to reek havoc in the street of San Francisco, his base of operations for ruling the world. All people, from U.S. to China, are under his rule. Only the brave ones, the Resistance, fight back. Chris heads it, and we are his second in command. He is, after all, twice-blessed. He just doesn't show off his powers like his bratty older brother."

"You're lying!" Leo yelled in outrage, "My son would never be evil."

"Oh yeah?' Mel said coldly, and removed her cloak. She rolled up one of her sleeves to reveal old battle scars that ran up and down her arm.

"Not all of these were made by him directly – mostly his demon minions. But," she trailed off, and pulled up the other sleeve, "oh, here it is."

Phoebe whimpering in pain for her daughter as Mel showed off her muscular shoulder. Upon it was what first appeared to be a messy tattoo. But as the sisters and Leo looked at it closer, it was black because of a burn, like as if someone had used iron prongs on her skin. It bore the name 'Lord Wyatt.'

"He was experimenting with new torture techniques, so when he caught me on a raid of one of his factories…" she trailed. The sisters were shocked.

"Sweetie," Phoebe cried, and embraced her daughter.

"Do you believe us now?" Chris demanded.

"Yes," Phoebe replied almost immediately. Paige nodded as well, but it wasn't because of the mark alone. Her old social worker instinct had told her something about the girl once Mel had opened up to them. She had so many symptoms of being hurt by those close to her. A cousin fit perfectly into the equation.

Piper also showed her agreement. Chris was her son… she raised such a brave boy…

Leo was the only one who still had doubts.

"I'll discover the truth," the elder vowed, "just you wait."

**In the future, Wyatt eagerly awaits advancements in the search for his little brother…**

"Come on, old man," he demanded. "Talk."

Victor mumbled something incoherent. Greedily, Wyatt leaned in closer.

"What did you say, Gramps?"

Victor peered up at his grandson with bloodshot eyes. The cut on his cheek ran freely, and his forehead was bruised heavily. A crude rope hanging from the ceiling bound his hands, and his wrists were tender to the touch – a result from being suspend in a cave for several hours.

"You're scum," he muttered more audibly. Wyatt sneered.

"Sticks and stones, Gramps," he said wickedly, "sticks and stones."

A demon appeared in the room. Wyatt glanced at him impatiently.

"What is it?"

"My liege," he addressed shakily, "there was a… miscalculation."

"A mistake!" Wyatt roared, and the demon realized with dread that he now had the Dark Lord's undivided attention.

"No, no, sir" the demon said hastily, "merely a fixable problem."

"Then fix it," he hissed.

"But, sir, it's beyond the demons' power. You are needed."

"What is it that you cannot possibly handle without me holding your hands?" Wyatt. Tired of this little game, just wanted an answer.

"Your cousins, the 2nd Charmed Ones," the demon said quietly, "They live."

"WHAT?"


	14. Chapter 14

Note: A few of you mentioned that you wanted Wyatt to come to the future. To you I say: patience. It may come to pass. ; )

At the Manor…

The Charmed Ones, their adult children, and Bianca stood in the attic around the book. Jonas and Chris flipped through the pages anxiously.

"I'm telling you – it's not in there," Piper sighed. The two boys refused to believe her.

"We've both seen it! I could have sworn it was in this time period!" Jonas exclaimed miserably. Chris slammed his hands angrily on the Book of Shadows.

"Hey!" Piper yelled, "don't take it out on your heritage!" Chris backed away from the book and eased himself into the chair.

He was actually glad things were so hectic. Since everybody was so busy searching for a way to send Cole and Ella back, Piper hadn't had the chance to ask him questions… questions he couldn't answer. Now, if Jonas could only keep his mouth shut, he should be fine.

"How are we going to find Cole, anyways?" Paige asked skeptically. Ever since her non-demonic son and nephew had told her that they also trusted Cole, she hadn't bee as eager to vanquish him. She decided to give him a chance, to see if he really had changed. Piper felt the same way, although neither one knew about each other's acceptance.

No one knew what had happened to Leo. He had orbed away almost a half hour ago, and hadn't returned since.

Mel leaned against the wall, her black cloak once again covering her battle scars. She disregarded the quiet chaos around her, and tried to concentrate; she was "getting herself in the zone," as her father always said.

Finally, she felt prepared.

"Ok, everybody. I'm going to call my Dad."

"His cell would work in this time?" Paige asked, confused. Bianca rolled her eyes.

"No. Demons tend to have a psychic link with their children. Mel and Cole use that link to talk to each other."

Mel sat down on the floor Indian style, and breathed out.

"I'll fix the floor later," she muttered. Piper raised an eyebrow.

She stuck out her index finger, and it glowed red, much like a darklighter's hands do when they are about to burn their victims.

"You sure have a lot of darklighter characteristics," Paige muttered.

"I dated one once," she said absent-mindedly. Phoebe squeaked.

"What?" her mother scolded.

"I dumped him! And vanquished him! What's the big deal?" she said, looking at her mother. She saw her expression and laughed. "Yeah, Dad flipped out too. Grounded me and everything."

"So what are you planning on doing to my precious floor?" Piper asked with worry. Mel closed her eyes and dragged her glowing finger across the wood paneling. Black burn marks sprouted from the floor, and created a circle as she completed her rounds.

"I'm going to call my dad," she said closing her eyes. "He can do it with out the circle, but I need it for now. It acts as a funnel for my call, so that it only reaches him, and not every person in the world."

"Oh," Piper replied, and winced when she caught a look at the floor.

"Don't worry, Aunt Piper," Mel laughed, "I can make that disappear."

The rest of the people in the room were quieted, and Mel crunched her face. Silently, she yelled out.

_Dad? Dad, can you hear me?_

_Melody?_

_Dad!_

_Are you all right? How are the others?_

_They're fine. Listen, you need to come back to the manor. The sisters know most of the situation, and we're sending you back._

_Phoebe knows? About her death?_

_No, none of them know about that, or any of their deaths. They just know who we are, and what Wyatt is._

_They know about you?_

_They only know that I'm yours and Mom's daughter. They don't know anything else about me. _

_Let's keep it that way. If they find out the…other thing, they might not trust you._

_But I'm good…_

_I know that, but they might have second thoughts._

_I guess… but come back, Dad. Bring Ella back, too._

_Ok, I'll see you in a second._

_Bye._

_Bye._

She broke off the connection, and opened her eyes. Her mother and aunts looked at her with concern.

"You okay?" her mother asked gently.

"Yeah," she replied, and shook her head to clear it. Then she grinned, and pointed.

Phoebe turned around, as did the other sisters. She held her breath.

Cole stood in the back of the attic, and Ella stood next to him. The little girl grinned, and ran toward her mother, and embraced her.

"Mommy," she whispered, in complete bliss. For the little girl, her dreams had just come true: she met the mother she had never know and always loved.

"Ella, let her breathe," her father said gently. "Why don't you and Jonas go downstairs?"

Mel smiled. He picked the cousin that was the most likely to spill whatever the sisters hadn't already discovered. Jonas knew it, too.

"Come on, Ella. Let's go play with Piper's baby."

"But…" she looked down dejectedly, and followed her older cousin downstairs.

Cole watched his little girl go, and turned to face the sisters. He went directly to the point.

"Look, I know that none of you three trusts me," he began, "but to be completely honest, I don't care. There are bigger things going on, and I don't have time to fight or try to gain your trust through small, pointless acts of kindness. I just don't want my little girl to watch her aunts and mother try to vanquish me. She can't handle that." He paused for a moment, and then continued. Mel smiled, proud to be his daughter. Her two cousins grinned.

"Wyatt is destroying everything good in the world on his quest for power. I need to go back and fight him, or at least protect whatever is left. So I need you to send Ella and me back. Those three," he gestured to Mel, Chris, and Jonas, who had migrated into a group by the Book of shadows, "can stay and try to stop Wyatt from turning evil, if Chris' theory is actually correct."

The sisters were surprised at Cole's words. He had changes so much from the last time they had spoken, or fought. He had changed from an obsessive, slightly insane, twisted invincible demon with a doomed love-life to a strong, honest, brave, and fatherly man, who made it clear we would sacrifice anything for his two girls.

Phoebe's eyes watered, as her brain screamed 'Not again!' She was falling fast, yet again.

What surprised her most, however, was that his eyes did not stay focused on her. Before, he had stared at her so that it made her feel that he was looking into her very soul. Now, he looked at her with love, not smoldering intensity.

"We'll help," she whispered. He grinned, and she almost laughed. It was the classic Cole grin. So there really was part of him still in there.


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I don't own Charmed...yet. Muhahaha!

Bianca gazed out the window at the shinning moon. Cole had appeared that afternoon to the sisters, and now the houshold, excluding Leo, who was nowhere to be found, had split up, trying to figure out how to send Cole home and how to prevent Wyatt from turning evil.

Mel, Phoebe, and Cole were working in Magic School, writing a spell to send the Ella and Cole home. Paige and Piper were making a potion downstairs, for it was needed for the spell, and Chris and her were researching in the attic on demons that could turn Wyatt evil.

So far, no group had had any success.

Bianca left the research to Chris, since he seemed to get a thrill from it. She was deep in thought…and that, for her, was rare.

Ever since she discovered she was pregnant, she had been on the run. From, the darklighters, from Wyatt, from one of his underlings: it didn't matter whom; she just ran. And with every step, leap, and shimmer, it had occurred to her that this might be the life her child would have to endure, or die intrying to survive. Those thoughts had pierced her heart, like the very arrows hunting her down.

She had lived in terror for months, and Chris, who had been her shoulder to cry on or to support her, was in the future, trying to make the world safer for her, and unknowingly, their child.

She didn't realize she was crying until she felt a strong hand wipe them away, then cup her chin. She refocused her eyes and saw Chris' loving face in front of her.

"How are you?" he asked gently, and she embraced him, tears flowing freely.

"I'm so scared," she admitted. "What if this doesn't work? What if our child has to go through life fighting, like we have? What if she gets hurt because of us? What if Wyatt kidnaps her? What if –"

Chris kissed her, and she stopped talking, merely taking in the brief moment of bliss. The worries of the world left her, and she kissed him back.

After a few moments, they pulled away, and Chris continued to embrace her.

"Wait," he pulled away. "She? Her?"

Bianca looked down, embarrassed.

"It's just a feeling I have. I think we're having a girl…"

Chris broke out into a silly smile.

"Well, let's get moving!" He sat down to the books with newfound enthusiasm. "We need to make our world safe for our daughter!"

Even in their current situation, Bianca could not help the grin spreading across her face as she witnessed her fiancé's pure joy. Chris would definitely make a great father.

Blue orbs filtered into the attic, materializing right in front of Chris in the form of Leo.

But this Leo was not the same Leo who had left the manner an hour ago. This Leo's hair was grayer, and face more worn. He didn't look older, in a way, but more worn and wary. His eyes no longer twinkled with joy and love; instead, they flashedwith alertnessand anger.

"Hello, Dad," Chris greeted the Leo from his time with false joy. Bianca stepped back several feet. Leo had always hated her, and still didn't know she was pregnant. Hopefully, he wouldn't find out until she was safely away from him with her newborn in her arms.

"Bianca, shimmer. Now!" Chris demanded, and she disappeared, leaving the father and son glaring at each other, with menace in their eyes.

"Why aren't you at your precious son's side, being as gullible as ever?" Chris asked conversationally.

"I'm taking you home, Christopher," Leo replied coldly. His son looked back as him defiantly.

"I'd like to see you try."

The elder made a move for him, grasping him shirt and tearing off a piece of the sleeve. The thin fabric fluttered to the floor, and Leo turned to the stairs, listening for the footsteps he was sure he had heard. And he watched his wife enter the room and stare at him.

"That's not Leo," Piper stated, sure of herself.

Piper looked at the strange man in her attic, who looked so much like her husband, but so different from him. Leo looked down at the floor, trying to hide the tears welling up in his eyes, threatening to fall, as the woman from the past tranformed into the dead body in the future under his eyelids. He remembered his anger at her upon choosing Chris, not Wyatt, as her heir for the Power of Three, and the tears dissipated instantly. He gazed upon her emotionlessly.

The potion vial clattered to the floor, and spilled onto the thin rug placed under the table covered with research books.

"Paige!" she hollered. The man who looked like Leo moved toward her, and she put up her hands.

"Piper, it is Leo," Chris confessed, "but he's the Leo from my time."

She studied him more thouroughly, and was shocked at his expression. The loving husband was gone; all that remained was anger. Anger and perhaps tiredness.

"What happens in the future?" she asked softly. Leo glared.

"You choose him," Leo spat.

Paige thundered up the stairs, and halted upon seeing Leo.

"Whoa."

"What do you mean, "I chose him"?" Piper demanded.

"Wyatt deserved to be your successor! He deserved the Power of Three," Leo ranted, "Chris is nothing, just a weak second son. Wyatt is twice-blessed!"

"What are we talking about?" Paige asked, confused. She realised she must have missed a vital part of the conversation.

Chris looked down at the floor, trying not to cry. His father's argument caused old, painful memories to resurface. He remembered his mother yelling herself hoarse, trying to get her husband to pay attention to him, and not to favor Wyatt. She said that Wyatt was beginning to show signs of corruption; he was using spells and magic for person gain, and he used his powers to bully kids at school. He closed his eyes for a moment, and his memories flooded back to him, vividly replaying themselves under his eyelids: one of the many fights his parents hadabout him. It was when he was eleven, and already his father despised him...

_"Leo! Chris is pure good. Just the other day, Wyatt and Chris went to the park. Wyatt came back with out his brother, and when I asked why, he said 'Chris is just being stupid again'."_

_"So Wyatt left the park without his brother. Chris is a big boy of ten; he can talk care of himself." Leo had dismissed Piper's concerns._

_"I wasn't finished yet, and Chris is eleven." Piper crossed her arms. "Chris returned an hour later. When I asked him about it, he said he had witnessed a kidnapping, and wanted to help."_

_"What?" Leo had demanded, "What could he have done?"_

_"He sensed the child, brought her back to the police and got out of there without exposing magic. Leo, your second son saved an innocent. Wyatt's never done that!"_

"_Don't favor Chris over Wyatt!" Leo had yelled._

"_I don't! I love both of my children the same – like you should too."_

"_Then choose Wyatt! You can still change your mind; it's not too late!"_

"_Wyatt has a different destiny, whether it but good or evil, great or small. He is the Twice-blessed. Chris is a Charmed One – it's his path to travel, not Wyatt's."_

"Chris, what is he talking about?" Chris looked up and saw Piper, his mother, looking at him with concern. Her face showed bewilderment, and behind her, Leo's showed only rage.

"Um…" Chris mumbled, and tried to think of an escape route for this situation.

"Hey," Jonas called from the doorway, "Ella's fallen asleep, and—"

He stopped and gaped when he noticed the Leo from his time in the room. He had managed, for the most part, not to kill past Leo, since he knew that he hadn't done anything yet. But this Leo… he was fair game.

Jonas raised his hand, and bright blue lightning crackled from it. Leo glared at him, and brought up his own power.

"Jonas, I don't want to hurt you. I just want Christopher."

"Over my dead body," came a new voice. Mel walked into the attic, followed by her parents. Cole quickly darted out of the room, realizing that his youngest daughter may be in danger. Leo had always despised both of his children, and unlike Melody, Ella was not as confident in her powers.

"You," he growled, and Bianca found the tone of voice similar to the tone he had used on her the day before, when he attacked her.

"What the hell is going on?" the three sisters demanded in unity. Leo orbed out.

Since their 'informant' had left, they turned to the only other place they knew the answers to their questions resided. They spun to face Chris, Jonas, Bianca, and Melody.

"Well?"

A/N: Sorry for the shortness of the chapters. But the next stuff doesn't belong in this chapter.


	16. Chapter 16

Note: Well, it's a really short chapter, but I feel it's an important one. Please bear with me, though. However, it may be a while until a new update. My computer had issues saving, so I had to start most of this one over again. In the Future Magic School… 

Demons from all walks of life crawled amongst the tattered books and overturned tables. Some shifted through piles of magical tomes and volumes, flipping through the pages for a moment before discarding each one into a separate bin. Others flung potion bottles against the wall, and recording the results after setting a copy aside for further testing. The potion-testing demons and the book-checking demons wore identical scowls, and grumbled occasionally on the time-consuming aspect of their work.

A larger demon who had ending up studying chosen books nudged the demon beside him. The smaller demon yelped, and peered shakily at the looming figure next to him.

"So," he rumbled, and flipped another delicate page roughly, " why are you stuck here, working for some crackpot whitelighter—"

A hand slammed down on the passage that the demon had been "reading" (in fact, he had been illiterate, so whoever had organized the jobs didn't do their research).

"Klast," Wyatt asked threatening, "do you have anything to say?"

"No, my Lord."

"Oh, all well." Wyatt's eyes glittered dangerously, and the smaller demon cringed.

Klast exploded as the Dark Lord waved his hand with a silly grin.

"I love when I do that," he muttered happily to no one in particular.

Wyatt glanced around, and noticed that his demon minions had ceased to work. Rather, they were staring at him with morbid fascination.

"What are you waiting for?" Wyatt exclaimed, "I want that spell found. It's the only way I can get the future to retrieve my brother."

With minimal grumbling, the demons returned to their work, and Wyatt orbed out.

In the Underworld (still future)… 

Wyatt orbed in just in time to see two demons inspecting a throne that was placed in the center of the cavern.

"You two, state your name and purpose," Wyatt demanded. The two demons whirled around and held up fireballs.

"We don't serve you, Wyatt," they said with distain.

The Twice-Blessed looked at the two with mild curiosity. It wasn't often that he was shown direct resistance by demons. He knew that all of them detested him, and he did not actually care, but he never had known one to say if to his face.

"Then whom do you serve?" he asked soothingly, trying to work the demons into a false sense of security while he received information.

However, they again surprised him. The two demons held their positions, and refused to speak to him. The fire in their hands still burned brightly in the dim of the cavern.

"Answer me!" he demanded, and electricity coiled around his arms. The demons did not so much as blink.

"Why, you…" he shot blue lightning at them, but they hurled themselves over at tombstones. But the larger of the two leapt up, and made a run for the strong, oak door several yards away. Wyatt turned his attention to him, and gestured to blow him up. The demon once again dodged, but Wyatt was too concerned with the blaring alarm to notice. He swiveled his head over to the demon who stayed behind, and saw that his hand held a glowing crystal.

He had been tricked; the larger demon was only a distraction, to allow the other one to pull the alarm, so to speak.

"Who are you!" he bellowed in rage, as about twenty other demons enter the room and quickly surrounded him. Several were armed with energy balls, and that did not worry him; but other were armed with various pointed objects, ad well as flames and potion vials containing deep-green colored liquid.

"Don't move," a new, large demon with green, scaly skin and horns lopping over his head growled with a deep, menacing voice, "the potions destroy your shield, leaving you vulnerable."

"You're bluffing," Wyatt spat.

"We may be," another demon said, "but the question is: can you afford to find out?"


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I don't own Charmed, or the WB, or anything else.

_Previously, at the Manor…_

"_What the hell is going on?" the three sisters demanded in unity. Leo (future one) orbed out._

_Since their 'informant' had left, they turned to the only other place they knew the answers to their questions resided. They spun to face Chris, Jonas, Bianca, and Melody._

_"Well?"_

**Now...**

"What was he talking about?" Phoebe demanded, looking directly at her daughter.

Melody shifted her feet, and looked down at the floor. They were treading in dangerous waters here, for any wrong move could prevent Chris from becoming a Charmed One. Even the thought of Wyatt with even more power caused her to quiver slightly.

"Well?" Piper prompted, looking at her adult son.

"Come on, Jonas," Paige begged, trying to play off her son's inability to keep secrets.

"Well..." Jonas began, but Chris cut him off.

"Let me do it, man," he said, and turned to the sisters, "besides, it's my problem." Chris drew a breath.

"When all of you finally had children, it was decided that your destinies and power would be passed on to us when you were unable to fight anymore." He paused, hopeing that their minds didn't associate that with 'dead'.

"Since you each had two children, their was obviously a choice that had to be made. Paige, you chose Jonas because Michael was more of a pacifist, and only a baby. Phoebe, you chose Melody because you were still pregnant with Ella."

"But for Piper," he looked at her, "it was different. Both Wyatt and I were close in age, and Wyatt actually expected the Charmed destiny. Everyone thought that you would choose him as your heir, and Leo even demanded that you did." He breathed deeply, the next part harder to tell than the background information he had used to stall.

Jonas, noticing his cousin's struggle, took up the story.

"You surprised everyone by choosing Chris, and that decision infuriated Leo. The stupid elder had always treated Chris as second best to Wyatt."

"So you mean," Paige began, "we actually chose you to have our power, and just gave it up by our own free? But we're what, in your time…forty to fifty? That's not that old…"

The future people looked uncomfortable. But it all became crystal clear to Phoebe. Cole's attitude towards her, Ella's excitement upon seeing her, Chris' secrecy – it all made sense.

"We died, didn't we?"

Melody looked stunned. Well, her father always joked she must have gotten her sense of logic from somewhere.

"Yes," she whispered. The Charmed Ones looked broken.

"We died?" Piper murmured. Paige whimpered softly. The attic was silent.

Cole, thudding up the stairs, broke the awkward silence. Everyone turned to look at him and Ella, whom he had brought back up.

"Leo is gone, right?" Nods from all around answered him. He breathed a sigh of relief.

"Leo always did…will…does…" he stumbled over the tense for moment before giving up," he always has…disliked my children."

Mel, despite of the grave situation, no pun intended, snorted. "Disliked" might not have been the word she'd have chosen to describe Leo's feelings about her and her sister.

"So what's with all the sad faces?" Cole could not take the silence. He could feel the tension rising in the room.

"We know," Piper said sullenly. Cole's eyes darted to his eldest daughter as his heart began to skip a few beats. Panic, starting in his stomach, began to rapidly rise throughout his body.

But a simple, yet subtle shake of the head from Mel allowed his blood pressure to drop back to its normal rate. He breathed a quick sigh of relief; the Charmed Ones still remained ignorant on one fact about his daughter.

"Cole, are you alright?" Phoebe asked. Cole cursed himself silently. Leave it to the empath to sense his sudden shift in his mental state.

"I'm fine, just disappointed that you and your sisters know something that could have a negative effect on the future." Well, he thought, at least she's talking to me.

**In the future Underworld…**

"What were you doing in the old Source's chamber?" Wyatt demanded as he was led rather ruffly by the band of demons toward an unknown destination.

"What were you doing there?" a large demon with snake eyes countered. Wyatt sulked.

A small demon, that had taken the end of the little procession through the torch-lit halls made his way carefully to the front. He reached the demon at the front, and leaned over to him, although his words were drowned out by the stomps od the many fighters behind him.

"What are we gonna do, Ahwthork?" The small demon glanced back at Wyatt, who was glaring at his captors.

"What do you mean?" Ahwthork growled, his curled, ivory horns that protruded from his scalp swerved twoard the demon. He continued to face forward, with a look of resolve upon his face.

"The identity of the Source must remain secret," the smaller demon insisted. Wyatt perked up his ears. The Source?

"It shall." the demon said menacingly.

There was a brief moment of silence between the two demons before the procession entered another chamber, located off the wall to the left. A metal door with several ancient engraving looked out of place among the neighboring wooden doors.

Ahwthork moved forward, and his back covered what he did with his hands. Wyatt craned his neck over the shoulders of his captors, but the solid mass of Ahwthork blocked his view.

The door swung open, and the group moved in. Wyatt gasped.

Scattered across the room lay cages and prison cells of various shaped and sizes. All were locked both mechasnically and magically, and surroung each was either fire or boiling acidic water. But the rather medival appearance of the prison room was not what took Wyatt's breath away. It was the prisoners themselves.

Every demon lackey of hisever lost on a mission, killed by a Resistance member, are by Wyatt himself lay in this prison. Every witch he had managed to convert, then vanquish, and every mortal he had twisted for his own ends were rotting in these cages, moaning and begging to be freed.

"What the hell…" Wyatt mumbled. The demons actually smiled with pride.

"The Source has long been fighting against you, oh foolish one." The smaller demon smiled, showing off missing teeth. "For the Source owns powers that you cannot even conceive."

"Where is he?" Wyatt demanded, as he was shoved into a cage. "I demand to speak with him at once!"

"He?" a demon from the group grinned impishly (that in itself was very uncharacteristic of a demon of his standing). The other demons laughed at his stupidity.

"No, not he. _She._"


	18. Chapter 18

**San Francisco Park (Past)**

Night fell, and Cole with his two daughters sat perched on a picnic table, allowing the moon's light to wash over them. Ella sat on her father's lap, and Mel sat a foot away from them, starring up at the stars.

"Why are you lookin' up at the sky?" Ella asked her sister, "You can't see any stars."

Mel grinned mischievously and tilted up her head at the starless sky. Squinting carefully, she focused intently on the cloudy, foggy sky above. Slowly, with a slight rumble, the clouds parted, creating a hole of glittering, twinkling stars. Ella laughed softly with delight.

"Oh…" she said with understanding. Mel ruffled her sister's brown hair, causing the young girl to go into yet another bout of giggles.

"Melody, would you please at least try to control yourself?" Cole scolded her lightly. He was too happy seeing his children happy and at ease to put much force behind his command.

"Fine, Dad," Mel grumbled, "I'll put it back." The clouds returned to their original positions, and Cole nodded in thanks to her.

"Daddy, it was pretty," Ella pouted, trying to use her charm to get her way, as all little girls are bound to try when they get to that age. Cole just chuckled, and waved his hand lightly. Fire danced around, hovering above the ground at Ella's eye level. With several gestures, he created familiar figures, including an edgy Chris, a bunny, and several ponies that Melody had adored as a child.

"So," Mel huffed, "you can do tricks, but I can't?"

"I'm older and wiser," Cole shot back playfully. Mel crossed her arms and pouted, causing Ella to break into more fits of laughter. She loved seeing her older sister like this, as did Cole. She seemed so relaxed, away from the pressure of their world, away from the bloodshed and trickery. 'If their plans didn't work out, this could become a very nice vacation retreat', Cole though only half joking.

"Oh yeah?" Mel returned, "I'm voluntarily possessed by a million year old—"

"Melody Prudence Haliwell!" Cole cut her off, and looked around anxiously. "Don't' you dare say anything about that here!"

"Sorry," she mumbled, looking down at the grassy ground, ashamed.

"You should be!" he ranted, "If just one demon had heard that, it would be the end of that. We're lucky other demons haven't sensed you yet!"

"Dad, I know…I just wasn't thinking."

Cole breathed out for a moment, trying to stop his blood from boiling with rage…and fear. His oldest daughter lived a dangerous life, against his will, and she was becoming too reckless. She didn't, however, need him yelling at her. She was under a lot of stress already.

"I'm sorry, Mel," he apologized, and pulled her head toward his shoulder, "I'm just worried about you, that's all."

She rested her head on his shoulder, and her rubbed her back gently. The father and two daughters sat there, still as could be, simply watching the moon fly through the endless sky.

**Back at the manor…**

Phoebe, Paige, and Piper all stood around the stove in the kitchen, waited for the water to boil properly, so that they could at the final ingredient. Upon seeing Leo, she had dropped the only vial they had, since the rest of the batch had overcooked itself when Paige ran to Piper's call.

"Where is everybody?" Paige asked, breaking the quiet around her. Her sisters looked up at her.

"Cole and the girls went to the park," Phoebe answered instantly, "He said that Ella needed a break from it all."

"I have know idea where Chris, Jonas, or Bianca is, but with Future Leo running amok, I have a feeling they're all together." Piper glanced back down at the potion, checking its progress.

"Where is our Leo, anyway?" Phoebe asked, and peeked at her sisters. Both shrugged.

As if on cue, Leo orbed in. He was covered in mud and bits of grass, and his face was full of small, harmless little cuts, that looked like large paper cuts. Even as he stood in front of the sisters, they began to heal themselves up. However, the dirt did not go away.

"Honey! What happened?" Piper laughed, secretly relieved that her ex-husband was with them again.

"I trust Chris and Jonas," he muttered, and the Charmed Ones looked at each other knowingly, "But I still don't trust Melody or Bianca."

"Well, we have some news for you," Paige said, and turned her attention back to the odorous potion, as it simmered and splashed over the pot. Paige swore quietly as she grabbed a dishtowel to wipe the melted ingredients off the surface of the stove.

"What can be more drastic than discovering the Chris is my son?" he asked warily, prepared for some blow of extreme proportions.

"Future you came to visit!" Piper said, with an almost accusing tone. Leo stepped back a foot, as if he had been physically harmed.

"What? What was I like?" Leo stuttered excitedly.

"You were evil, and gullible, and cruel, and," Paige rambled on, naming negative characteristics that Future Leo had shown, until Piper finally smacked her in the shoulder.

"Ow," Paige muttered.

"Leo," Phoebe tried to take an advice columnist's approach to the issue, "your future self can be changed. Our fate is judged by our actions. The only reason you seemed so twisted is because you held Wyatt in value over all else, including you second son, the remainder of your family, and the greater good."

"I didn't love Chris?" Leo asked sadly. He seemed genuinely concerned. Piper reached over to embrace him. He accepted her, and the divorced couple hugged each other tightly. Phoebe, the hopeless romantic, couldn't help but "aw" at them.

"So what are you girls trying to do?" Leo asked, still draping his arm around Piper's shoulder.

"We're making a potion to send Cole and Ella back," Phoebe replied absent-mindedly. Leo nodded.

"Where are they, anyways?" Paige asked, looking up from the potion, "because it's ready."

"We're right here," Cole answered, and Phoebe whirled around to face him, and Ella. He smiled at her, and she blushed deeply.

"I'm here!" Mel announced, shimmered a moment later.

"What, did you get lost on the way?" Leo remarked rudely. Mel glared at him. He didn't care; he would work hard to show Chris that he loved him as much as Wyatt, but Mel was half-demon – she was half Cole. Some one like that, he could never love.

"Is the potion ready?" Cole asked, getting down to business.

"Yes."

"Yep."

"Definitely."

Piper called Chris, Jonas, and Bianca, and they said good-bye to Cole and Ella. After, Chris orbed back to P3 with Bianca; since the pregnancy, she was feeling a bit under the weather, and Chris insisted she stay in bed. Jonas orbed back as well, after asking Cole to talk to his family for him.

"You're comin' with us, right Mel?" Ella asked sadly, knowing the answer. Melody scooped her up in her arms, and hugged her tightly.

"You're going to be fine, Ella," she promised, "but I need to stay here, and stop Wyatt from turning."

"Ok, but kisses first." Mel showered her face with little pecks. After a minute, however, she backed away, and Ella ran to her father's arms.

"Do it,' he ordered, and his own eyes shone with sadness. The sisters nodded somberly, and began the incantation Phoebe had created, as Cole and Ella stepped into the circle created by candles and crystals.

_Magic forces far and near_

_Collect your strength and settle here_

_Send these people forward in time_

_Back to hearth and home whence ends this rhyme_

Phoebe threw her potion first, then Piper, then Paige. Smoke of various color and smells filled the air, and the impenetrable mist, through which no eyes could pierce, enveloped the entire attic.


	19. Chapter 19

Note: This entire chapter takes place in the future 

**In the Future Manor (approximately 2024)**

The trashed attic gave a desolate and ruined appearance. Books and potion vials littered the floor, and it looked as if it had been ransacked at least ten times. Dust, that lay on all articles great and small, was so thick than it seemed apparent that the attic had been abandoned for at least ten years, with no change in setting.

Until now.

Smoke began to fill the spacious area. At first it was a dull gray, then it shifted to more lively colors, like yellow, blue, and pink all swirled together like a child's Play-Do collection, where all shades are unrecognizable, yet produce a magnificent result.

Seven people become visible once the smoke dissipated. The Charmed Ones all coughed heavily, the heavily fragrant smoke filling their lungs instead of oxygen. Little Ella sneezed in an almost dainty manner, and finished with a high-pitched squeak. Cole wheezed roughly, but only for a second, and Mel and Leo were completely unfazed.

"What happened?" Leo asked, looking around with dismay and shock at the attic.

"Oh, damn it," was Melody's response.

"What is it?" asked Phoebe. Cole looked around, and came to the same conclusion as his daughter. They were back in their own time.

"We need to get out of here." He said this with authority, and pulled Ella up, holding her tightly. She whimpered as well, realizing where they were.

"What? Why?" Piper demanded. She didn't see any reason to move so quickly.

But between Cole and Mel, all were transported out of the attic within a second; the pair left no room for argument from people who had no idea what the deal was in this time.

And it was not a moment to soon. It had not even been a minute since their departure when a demon flamed in, followed by his partner.

"Where did they go?" growled the second demon.

The first demon looked around sharply, and kicked a piece of spare debris into the closest wall. The brittle board shattered into pieces.

"Who ever it was, they're gone from here," he replied seriously, trying not to let his fear spread into his voice. "We can only hope that Lord Wyatt stays wherever he is this time long enough for use to find them."

**In the Source's Lair…**

"Where are you taking us?" Paige yelled, her body not yet having materialized.

"Be quiet!" Melody whispered furiously, shimmering in with her mother and other aunt. Leo pulled away from Cole with disdain. Cole smirked.

"Sweetie, what's going on?" Phoebe asked her daughter quietly. Mel, however, was paying no attention to her. She quickly scanned the room, and then closed her eyes and reached out with her subconscious. She detected no magical bugs, or invisible demons. However, she did pick up on residue…Wyatt's reside. His magic was stronger than most that she normally dealt with, so she could easily differentiate.

"Hon, what's wrong?" Cole asked with concern. He caught her expression, and knew she sensed something. Leo rolled his eyes, and was promptly hit by Piper, who saw the rude gesture.

"Wyatt's been here." Cole paled when she spoke.

"My baby?" Piper whimpered. The thought of Wyatt in the underworld scared her, even though she was told he was evil in this time. Some part of her stilled denied this.

"What happened?" he demanded almost gently. She closed her eyes, and picked up a premonition.

Wyatt orbed in, and saw her demons. They scattered, eventually calling others using the crystal alarm system. She saw Wyatt's awful smirk, and then his shock when he realized he was over powered. She watched as the procession moved out of the room with Wyatt as hostage, and were out of her range of seeing.

"What's she doing?" Piper question Cole, but Ella answered her.

"She's getting' a vision."

"How," Phoebe asked curiously, "she didn't touch anything."

Ella rolled her eyes.

"She doesn't need to touch anything! She just gets 'em from the air! That's how she can beat up bad guys; she sees the punches and stuff before they do 'em."

"She's a little more adept than you are," Cole said gently, seeing the astounded look on his future wife's face.

"I guess so," she murmured.

Mel opened her eyes, missing the end of the conversation between her parents.

"It's okay, Dad," she said excitedly, "We got him!"

"Who got who?" Leo asked. The Charmed Ones looked at her expectedly.

Cole shook his head subtly. Mel sighed.

"They'll find out sooner or later," she argued.

"Let's make it later," Cole reasoned. Mel pouted rather immaturely, but did not push the issue.

The Charmed Ones and Leo, however, were very confused. It was clear to them that they were witnessing a conversation where the main idea was not being spoken, and this made them realize that Melody and Cole still had secrets that had gone untold.

"Ok, you two," Phoebe asked accusingly, "what's going on?"

But before either one could make up a clever and convincing lie to satisfy the sisters and Leo, a demon flamed in, directly in front of the sisters and Leo.

"Demon," shrieked Piper. To all, except Ella, Melody, and Cole, there was panic. Leo pulled Piper away in an attempt to protect her, and Paige flinched. Phoebe lookedat the demon inhorror, realizing that a six-year-old - her six-year-old -was about to be traumatized.

However, panic lead to confusion as Ella hopped out of her father's grasp and ambled toward the demon, throwing herself into his arms.

This demon was Ahwthork. He caught Ella and hugged her tightly, genuine pleasure dawning across his face.

"Why is my daughter hugging a demon?" Phoebe demanded.

"It's fine, Mom." Mel stepped forward, and was now Ahwthork's view.

At that moment, one of the last, major secrets Melody had been keeping disappeared. Cole smacked his forehead with an 'ugh!' as he watched the demon fall to his knees.

"My liege."


	20. Chapter 20

Note: Although this has absolutely no relevance on this story, I would like to say something:

"The good penguin understands that he cannot fly. But the **great** penguin uses a catapult…"

The Charmed Ones sat in the joyful, pleasant field, listening to the pan flutes, bagpipes, and light percussive instruments in the background. Leo stood leaning up against a nearby tree with a grim expression on his face, masking the unbelievablejoy he was feeling about being right.

Melody, Cole's daughter, was evil. After all, she was the Source of All Evil. How could she not be? The Charmed Ones had doubted his uncanny intuition,andthey had trusted their sworn enemy.

He stopped the smile that was about to spread across his face. Leo might have been enjoying his little victory, but he had not yet forgotten to be considerate of Phoebe, who had just discovered that her future family was just a bunch of evil demons.

A stout, short, leprechaun ambled over to the four, and tugged on Paige's shirt. She looked down, and wiped the tears of shame she had been silently shedding.

"Um…yes?" she sniffed.

"Miss," the leprechaun mumbled uncomfortably, "we were wondering if you would like to join the rest of the big fellas' down a ways."

The sisters nodded slowly, and made their way to the group of people. Melody, with a wave of her hand, had shimmered them to the Valley, where that had been greeted with excitement by the leprechauns. Leo, however, was given the cold shoulder.

Phoebe stared blankly ahead of her. The clear, blue sky, the sweet smelling honeysuckle, and the lovely background music had no effect on her. Her mind was simply white with confusion and distress beyond any level she had ever experienced. The only situation previously in her life that had even come close was when Prue died. But even then, she knew that her loved one was moving onto a peaceful rest, whereas in this instance those she cared for were to be damned to the demonic wastelands.

Her lively, smart, talented, and beautiful daughter was the Source of All Evil. Cole, whom she was just beginning to trust, had hid this from her, and her six year-old daughter had been around demons for what seemed like most of her young life. Her descendants were to become the disgrace of the Haliwell line.

"So, I guess that Wyatt isn't really evil then, is he?" Leo mentioned smugly to the sisters. He had been disgusted with the thought that Wyatt was evil. But, he had now come to the conclusion that Chris played him, as did Melody and Jonas. Chris may not even be his son… That image from his past may have all been an illusion to gain the sister's trust…

"We don't know that," Phoebe murmured. She was now looking at the grassy ground beneath her feet, trying to concentrate on the springy turf instead of reality.

"I would believe that Melody was evil," Paige started, "but not Jonas, and not Chris."

"You seem sure of yourself," Piper said enviously. Her mind was a black hole, howling through it, sucking up all she was learning and turning it into a stretched, distorted version of itself. Her ears were literally pounding.

"He's my son; I can feel it."

The group of people came into view, and the four people from the past could now clearly make out their figures.

A tall, black man began to run toward them.

"Hello?" Piper remarked, stepping back.

"Who are you?" Leo snapped. The Source had sent them here…could anyone be trusted in this place? He shuddered involuntarily as the thought ran through his head.

"Where's Melody? Is she here? Are her father and sister with her? Did…"

He trailed off as his eyes caught a glimpse of Phoebe in the midst of his interrogation.

"Oh…" he said, his eyes growing wide. "You look just like her."

"What do you mean?" Piper said. David shook his head a little and blinked.

"Melody," he said, "you look just like Melody."

"Actually, she looks a lot like Cole," Phoebe corrected.

"No, you don't understand," he said. "I can…"

"First of all, who are you?" Leo interrupted. Anyone who spoke well of Melody could be an enemy.

David looked around at the expectant faces.

"I'm David, Mel's fiancé."

"What?" Phoebe demanded. The hopeless romantic in her gave n for a moment, and she simply admired the complex beauty of love, as she picked up on the young man's emotions, whose heart burning like a torch for her daughter.

"Yes."

"The Source of All Evil is engaged?" Paige asked wondrously.

David glared at her.

"Don't call her that," he ordered, "she hates that name."

"Then why did she become it?" Leo retorted.

Phoebe stood by helplessly as the bickering increased. She almost feared for Leo as she studied David's muscular arms and shoulders. This man could do some serious damage.

"Are you a demon too?" Piper asked rudely.

"Demons are everywhere in this time," Paige said sadly.

David glared at him, and Phoebe's empathy picked up embers of an old rage. A gust of wind blew on them, and they lit aflame.

But he controlled himself, and answered quietly.

"Nothing is black and white anymore. Wyatt, the being who was supposedly all good, has turned on the world he should have protected. He is the evil of our time, not Melody. The Source's power has been channeled for good. Melody is good. I see it in her, when I read her aura. It's like yours, Phoebe. It's that flaming passion in living to help others. If only you all could see that beauty…"

He stopped, and Leo broke the thoughtful silence.

"The Source's power can't be used for good. It's evil power."

"Power is neither good or evil," David replied simply, but a powerful force stood behind his words, "only the goal for which we use power can be."

With those words, David led them away, toward the rest of the group where many faces, both smiling and scowling, awaited them.


	21. Chapter 21

Someone asked how far along Bianca's pregnancy is in this story. I'd say she's about 2 months along (so Chris left for the past two months ago, by the future's time).

Sorry this is short. But I restarted it so many times, that I'm happy it's getting out at all. I'll try never to have you guys wait that long again.

**In the future Underworld**

"My liege, are you listening to us?"

Ahwthork looked at his master with a slight bit of impatience, but quickly hid it behind a mask of obedience. He had lived when previous Sources had reigned – and they would have vanquished them on the spot for such a display of insolence.

Melody's reign had begun a new era. Demons, who had been forced into service, were freed, yet most stayed to fight Wyatt. They had begun to enjoy serving this Source.

"My liege?" he prompted, bringing the scroll he had been reading down to his torso. Melody was not paying attention.

"Did you see the way they looked at me?" she asked softly. She was slumped in her throne, staring off into space. Her black cloak hung on a hook protruding our from the stone walls, and her tight long-sleeved shirt and loosely fitting black jeans wrinkled with her poor posture.

Ahwthork sighed. This is why young Sources are never a good idea.

"My liege, please try to focus. We can deal with your estranged relatives later."

"Yes, of course, sorry."

Ahwthork pulled his notes up to his nose, and continued to read, but then decided to skip the formality and cut to the chase.

"Wyatt came here, looking for a new lead to get the Source's power. But with your premonition being unbelievably accurate, we had already planned an ambush and caught him."

"What happened to the potions that I made?" Mel asked, her mind now completely focused. The demons needed her, and she would be there for them.

"They were not used. He weighed the risks and decided that he was better off coming quietly, it seemed." Ahwthork raised his thick, black eyebrows slightly.

Melody sat quietly, and thought. The demon watched her, and tried to stop a smile from spreading across his face, as he wondered what was running through her mind.

"He's afraid of me."

"What?" Ahwthork cried, startled. "Why do you think that!"

She grinned impishly, and left his question unanswered.

"This is perfect. I've got him right where I want him," Melody said, and rubbed her hands together, embracing the typical cliché. Her eyebrow knitted tightly, and Ahwthork desperately wished he could read those thoughts shooting through her mind. She was a brilliant strategist; he almost feared the plan formulating in her brain.

"He doesn't even know you're the Source!" Ahwthork argued, as she leapt up from her chair, grabbed her cloak, and started to the door.

She whirled around and flashed him a killer smile.

"Trust me—I know what I'm doing."

**In the Underworld Prison**

The stench of demons filled his nostrils and he coughed. He had been working with demons for almost five years, but they way they bathed only once a year couldn't seem to grow on him.

One with red eyes, whose name he couldn't remember, smirked at him.

"What I do to you?" he shot sullenly through the cage to the caged demon.

The demon offered a toothy grin. "You killed me, you idiot."

"Don't you dare speak to me with such insolence!" Fire boiled throughout him, and he powered up blue lightning he had become so famous for.

"I wouldn't try that if I were you."

Wyatt whirled around at the familiar voice. His brain wouldn't register who it was, but his instinct told him it was bad news- very bad news.

He turned to face a brunette, with a billowing cloak, and a black shirt and pants. He gasped, and dozens of prisoners smirked at his shock.

"Melody?" he spat, venom in his voice. He tried to sound foreboding, but her power was practically radiating of off her. When had she become so strong?

She smiled, and he couldn't help but shiver. Her smile was cold, and so uncharacteristic of her, his little half-demon cousin.

"Hello, Wyatt. Enjoying your stay in my underworld?"


	22. Chapter 22

**Underworld (Future)**

"Your underworld?" he spat, "Little cousin, this is not your domain. It's mine."

"Really?" Mel smirked, and small, controlled smile played upon her lips. She watched with amusement as her older cousin squirmed around in his cell. Her expression was becoming harder to maintain, but she held fast.

"Look around, Wyatt," she began. Her arms flew up, and gestured to various cages, where his dead/vanquished commanders sat. "This is my world now, not yours. Never again yours. Every demon killed or vanquished comes to me. All I need to do in order to discover a secret is to have the knowledgeable person killed."

"You don't have that kind of power! I don't even have that power!" he shouted, "Only the Source can pull demons from the Wasteland!"

Melody walked slowly up to him, and came within a foot of the bars. She smiled a truly evil smile, one she had learned from the demons under her command.

"Who do you think I am, Wyatt? A fairy princess?" She mocked, and was rewarded with a deep blush of embarrassment creeping up his neck and spreading through his cheeks.

Just to add the final touches, she blacked out her eyes, as she often did to threaten demon minions.

Wyatt fainted right on the spot.

"Watch him," she commanded a demon posted nearby, "I have some business to attend to."

**Valley of the Leprechauns**

Silence.

Heads turned this way and that, taking advantages of small sounds in the distance to divert them from the present situation. The few leprechaun advisors and spokespeople tapped their sticks on the ground, waiting for someone to speak.

Phoebe shifted in her seat uncomfortably. Cole, who had shimmered in a few minutes ago, sat two people away from her, with Ella on his lap. She glanced from person to person, reading the unfamiliar faces, and trying to learn their emotions.

Paige couldn't keep her eyes off the reddish-haired boy across from her. His shy eyes, pale face, and ragged clothing each portrayed new stories to her. Richard sat beside him, and rubbed his back every once and a while. Paige raised an eyebrow.

Piper stood with Leo, and trying to glare at those who shot her husband dirty looks. Everyone seemed to utterly despise Leo. Her hands itched to blow up something, especially the blonde woman, who constantly looked at her and her husband – ex-husband, she means.

"So…" Cole started. Everybody looked at him, and he lost his nerve, and shrunk back to his former position.

"Oh, what the hell!" The blonde, Teresa, stood up and marched to the center of the little circle. Michael groaned, but secretly he was glad that his soon-to-be-sister had stopped the awkward silence.

"Cole! What did the Charmed Ones say?" she demanded. The three sisters from the past looked up. Piper could contain herself no longer.

"What do you mean? We're right here."

Teresa smirked. "I wasn't referring to you, Piper. I mean the 2nd, _more powerful_ Charmed Ones.

"Who are you to judge that?" Paige insisted.

"Your future daughter-in-law, Teresa." She bowed deeply, mocking her, and the circle chuckled, with an exception of the Charmed Ones and Leo.

"You're marrying my son!" she said, trying to mask her disgust.

"Your older one, yes," she answered, and punched Michael lightly in the shoulder. "No offense, Mike."

"None taken," he grunted, as he gingerly massaged his shoulder.

"Cole? My question?" Teresa jumped back on the subject, determined to receive the information.

"We never really got to discuss it."

"WHAT!" Teresa exploded.

"All that time in the future and you discovered nothing!" Richard asked incredulously.

"Well, a few problems came up!" Cole defended himself.

"What kind of problems…" Teresa leaned in.

"Well, the sisters and Leo pretty much figured out everything, and we still had one secret left, until Mel shimmered us Down There, and then…" Cole trailed off.

"Poof, no more secret," Ella finished for him, though she did not really understand the severity of the situation.

At the moment, as if on cue, Melody shimmered in.

"Speak of the devil," Teresa remarked sarcastically.

"Shut up," Mel snapped back.

"Why can't we all just get along?" David cried out. Mel saw him and rushed into his arms. He scooped her up, and spun her around.

"You're OK," he murmured.

She smiled. "Of course I am. It's me we're talking about."

He grinned, and the seriousness fell from his place for a moment. Mel's eyes sparked with joy, and he squeezed her tightly.

That is when he felt the blood on the back of her cloak…the _wet, fresh blood._


	23. Chapter 23

**Flashback - Underworld…**

_She didn't even see it coming. As she reached her lair once more, to grab her dagger and potions, a shadowy figure came from the darkened corner. Hearing the noise, she spun around, but it was too late. Why did her power of premonition fail her?_

_He growled at her, and wrapped his thick, roughly clothes arms around her neck. As she choked and wheezed, his smile grew wider. A manic laugh escaped his throat, and the young Source continued to choke. As the last of the air reached her brain, she conjured up a fireball, and the fight was over. Screaming in rage, he flew back and exploded. _

_That was when she discovered the ugly-looking sword inside her back. It narrowly missed her spinal cord._

**

* * *

Future – Leprechaun Valley**

"What happened, Mel?" demanded Cole, panic rising in his voice. Phoebe leapt from her seat, as she too noticed the steady stream of blood flowing from her daughter's back. All thoughts of her daughter being evil or demonic were shoved to the back of her mind. All that mattered was that her daughter was bleeding.

David gingerly lowered her onto the grass, and her eyes fluttered shut for a moment. She quickly opened it, fighting to stay awake.

"Alright, so maybe I'm not 100. But still…" she trailed off some more, and began to lose conscious.

"No, honey," her father held her head up, "you need to stay awake."

"Dad," she muttered, loss of blood making her more drowsy by the minute, "I'm sorry…"

"Leo," Phoebe whispered furiously, "can you heal her?"

"She's the Source of All Evil!" he said incredulously. "It's like Cole, Part Two!"

"He's right, sweetie," Piper added in sorrowful agreement.

"You just need to let her go," said Paige gently.

"She's not going to die!" David demanded. He fell to his knees beside her. "Mel?"

No answer. He shook her gently, and there was no response. A single tear came down his cheek.

"Melly! Melly Melly Melly!" Ella cried, and rushed over to her older sister. Her red, wet face nuzzled against her sister's. "Daddy, fix it!"

He looked at his little girl with tearstained eyes. A little girl should not be going through this—Melody shouldn't have gone through this.

"Get out of my way!"

The mourning crowd looked up to see Teresa. She marched over to Mel's unconscious form. She knelt down beside her, and turned her on her back, so that the large, bloodied wound was facing her.

"What are you doing?" Phoebe asked quietly. Teresa didn't even grace her with a look, let alone a response.

She pulled up Mel's shirt, and the bloodied skin shone in the mid-day sun. Teresa lifted her finger up, and she traced it across the wound.

Sizzling escaped into the air, followed by a small amount of smoke.

"What are you doing to her?" Phoebe demanded shrilly, "Stop it!"

"Shut up!" Teresa growled at her, "I'm trying to stop the bleeding. This is creating a scar so that the blood can't flow out of the cut. Melody's the Source; she can recover fast as long as the bleeding stops."

Teresa stood up, and swiped the grass of her knees. Mel rolled over of her own accord, and her eyes fluttered open.

"Ouch. That one hurt."

A collective breath was released, followed quickly by accusing glares, all aimed directly at Mel.

"Honey?" Cole asked his daughter, "How did you get stabbed?"

**

* * *

Past – The Manor… **

"Okay, where the hell did they go?"

Jonas paced around the attic, looking in every spot imaginable, from the dollhouse to the chest to the cracks in the windows, for the missing people.

"We don't know that, Jonas," Bianca said, annoyed, "that's why we're looking for them."

Chris walked over to his fiancé, and embraced her.

"Calm down," he soothed, "all your stress isn't good for the baby."

"There isn't going to be a baby, or the baby's father, if we can't find them, Chris!" She breathed out, and started over. "Chris, if we can't keep Piper and Leo safe, there's no you."

Chris looked down at the floor. He counted in his head, trying to think of something to do to get her to stop worrying.

"Hey!" exclaimed Jonas, "what if, when doing that spell, Mel somehow messed up, and sent them all to our time?"

The two others froze up.

"Oh no."

"Not good."

Jonas, Chris and Bianca looked at each other. The cry of Wyatt, that had begun but a second ago, had set off a major alarm.

"Wyatt…" Chris said softly. Little Wyatt orbed up into the attic and looked at the three.

"If your brother gets his hands on Piper…" Bianca trailed off, her eyes wide with fear.

'We're all toast." Jonas finished. Despite the casual wording, everyone present nodded solemnly.

"Well, we might just need to do something about that." Chris picked up little Wyatt, and looked meanfully at his cousin and fiancé.

"Why do you have in mind?" asked Jonas.

Chris stared down at his "little" big brother. Those innocent, blue eyes, and that blonde, beautiful hair. In his time, that hair was almost brown, and slicked back into a ponytail.

"We go with his greatest weakness." He hoisted Wyatt into the air.

"Baby Wyatt?" Bianca ask, startled. Jonas eyes narrowed, with a calculating grin, so uncharacteristic of his normal, goofy grins. Chris smiled.

"Baby Wyatt."


	24. Chapter 24

Please review...critisism and anonymous are welcome.

**Future – Underworld Prison**

Wyatt Haliwell: he was called by many names. The Tyrant, the Man Without Fear, The Rogue Whitelighter, the Promised One, the Twice-blessed, and the Dictator. But today, as he sat sulking in his filthy, cramped cell amongst demons that despised him with no limit, he went by very different names.

Prisoner. Weakling. Idiot. And right now… hungry.

"Hey, do you have any food?" Wyatt called out, with a trembling voice. He sat in the corner of his cell, hugging his knees.

"Hey you!" This time, he put more force and strength into the call.

"Shut up!"

"Eat your own flesh!"

"Serves you right!"

"How do you feel now, _Master?_"

All that came back at him were the taunts from his "fellow" prisoners. The Source's guards—Mel's guards, would not budge. They only remained stone-faced and cold.

"Damn you all to hell," he muttered, and sank further down, now looking more like a petulant child.

A sole guard looked back at him.

"Hell's better than your world."

**

* * *

**

**Leprechaun Valley**

Cole pulled his oldest daughter towards the forest. He placed Ella in Richard's hands, and left the Council, as it was quickly becoming known as, to its own accord.

The Charmed Ones stubbornly followed the father-daughter pair, each sister for a different reason.

"Dad, I'm sorry, but I need to get back." She refused to look him in the eye. Cole titled her chin upward, and what reflected back him broke his heart.

Her eyes were stained with tears. Genuine, sorrowful tears. They threatened to overcome her eyelids and spill out onto her face.

"Why didn't you say something when you first got here? We could have healed you faster, or done something. What is happening?" Cole pleaded with his daughter in furious whispers, for the Charmed Ones were almost within hearing range. Some things he still wanted to keep private.

"I…I…" she mumbled, becoming very choked up. Mel took a deep breath, and the truth spilled out.

"I didn't want keep living! I hate this world, this time, this life! I need to stay strong, stay smart, and stay alive! People depend on me to make things better! They criticize my methods, and who I am, but they fall asleep at night thanking whoever's out there that they're not me! I just want some peace!"

The Charmed Ones were but ten yards away, and Mel's voice dropped to a whisper.

"I was hoping that no one would be able to heal me, and maybe then I could rest."

Cole felt his very soul sink, leaving a void in the pit of his stomach, he embraced his daughter, and her tears spilled out onto his shoulder. The two stood there, until the Charmed Ones arrived on the scene, completely oblivious to what they were disturbing.

But it's these moments in life, as we witness the ones we love break down, that we have a moment of perfect clarity. That everything seems to make sense, and solution is just lying right in front of you, waiting to be grabbed. It's when you see how some people are losing strength that you discover the answer to the great problem.

Cole had that moment. And despite of all the pain right now, he smiled. Things could turn around...

Very, very soon...


	25. Chapter 25

"_I was hoping that no one would be able to heal me, and maybe then I could rest."_

_Cole felt his very soul sink, leaving a void in the pit of his stomach; he embraced his daughter, and her tears spilled out onto his shoulder. The two stood there, until the Charmed Ones arrived on the scene, completely oblivious to what they were disturbing._

_But it's these moments in life, as we witness the ones we love break down, that we have a moment of perfect clarity. That everything seems to make sense, and solution is just lying right in front of you, waiting to be grabbed. It's when you see how some people are losing strength that you discover the answer to the great problem._

_Cole had that moment. And despite of all the pain right now, he smiled. Things could turn around..._

_Very, very soon..._

* * *

**In the Leprechaun Valley…**

Phoebe approached her daughter, who now leaned against a willow tree, staring out across a serene, lily-filled pond.

As she walked closer to Melody, so many thoughts flooded into her head. Stray emotions from Melody appeared and disappeared like smoke on the water. Phoebe's own thoughts strayed to when she was slowly going evil, after she had married Cole and become the Queen of the Underworld.

If anyone, she understood what her daughter was going through. She just wanted a way to tell her. Her maternal instincts, though underdeveloped, were demanding this.

Melody looked up as her mother come closer.

"Look, if you want to attack me or something for being evil, can you please wait a few days? I'm still sore from being gutted."

Phoebe winced. But she hid it well.

"Nah, I'm a pacifist."

Melody smiled, and Phoebe decided that she like that expression much more than the intimidating one. "Of course."

"You?"

"Well," Melody began, "I used to be. But the Powers that Be, or whoever's in charge, has a sick sense of humor."

"Why do you say that?"

"I'm the damn Source!"

Phoebe looked into her eyes, and she saw tears threatening to brim over her eyelids. Melody also realized this, and furiously wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. She gazed back out to the water.

Phoebe wasn't going to let it go too easily. She walked over, and obstructed Melody's view of the water. Left with no other choice, Melody looked back at her mother.

"What do you want with me?" she asked quietly, pleadingly. Phoebe's heart broke, and rejoiced at the same time. She was getting through the hard shell, and into the beautiful exterior.

"Just tell me what happened," she said gently.

"I can't. Future consequences." She said without emotion.

"Oh, I am so sick of that crap!" Phoebe expelled, "Chris hits us with that all the time. Just tell me. I can help."

"No one can help me."

"We won't know until we try," Phoebe said eagerly. "I'm sure there's a spell that we can use to extract the Source from you –"

"You don't get it!" Melody exploded. "I told the Source into me voluntarily. Hell, I even hunted it down and killed the demon it inhabited, knowing what would happen to me! I needed it!"

"Why?" Phoebe asked, aghast with her daughter. An unwanted though entered her head.

_What if she really is just like Cole was? Power-hungry?_

"Never mind." Melody said dismissively.

"No," her mother demanded firmly. "I need to understand. Just let me in!"

Melody closed her eyes.

"Because if I didn't have that power, then Wyatt would have!"

"You became the Source…to save people?" Phoebe realized incredulously.

"Yes," Melody whispered, "if Wyatt had that kind of power, then he would have destroyed us all. I mean, a Twice-Blessed Source? It was genocide if we didn't do something."

"We?"

"Yeah," Melody admitted. "Dad and I. Except – "

"Except what?"

"Except, I messed up the plan." Melody shifted uncomfortably. "I had heard stories about when Dad was possessed by the Source. He was the one who was going to kill the Source, and get the power. He had already made a potion we could use to vanquish him if things got out of control. But…"

She paused.

"But at the last minute, I jumped in. I vanquished the Source, and got the power. I just… I just couldn't loose another parent. Not again. And I didn't want my kid sister growing up without a father."

Phoebe, for once, was speechless.

"Dad was so mad at me after, but he was so worried, too. He knew what the Source can do to someone."

Phoebe was almost afraid to ask. But she had to know…

"Have you been…feeling the effects?"

Melody paused.

"Sometimes, at the beginning. That's how I met David, actually."

"What? What were you doing?" Phoebe asked, curious. Ah romance, she thought - my territory.

"Well," Melody started, a small smile appearing on her face as she revisited the memory that changed her life…

**Flashback – Five Years Ago (future time)**

_Melody stumbled to the hard, stone floor. Her knees were scrapped and bloodied, and her palms held their own crazy maze of scraps and bruises. _

_Hot tears flowed freely from her cheeks, tasting salty in her mouth. She though of how Leo had stared at her when he heard what had happened. She felt like something sub-human, something to be shunned - or vanquished._

_She felt evil. No, she thought to herself, she was evil. How could she not be? She was the Source of all Evil._

_She shook her head furiously, trying to get the thought out of her head. But it wouldn't go away._

_She heard footsteps approaching. She was afraid it was Leo, so she hid behind a boulder, and became invisible._

_But instead of the self-righteous elder, a teenage boy of about sixteen, like herself, came around the bend and stopped. She peered through the rock's crevice at him._

_He was good-looking, she decided instantaneously._

_He stared at the rock, and his eyes connected with her. She forgot why she had been crying._

"_Hello," he said quietly, his voice creamy, like thick milk chocolate._

_Oh, crap. He could see her._

_She decided to take a risk, and show herself. She stood up, and walked toward him._

"_May I ask why you're crying?"_

"_You may ask," she replied, "but you may not get an answer." _

"_You're beautiful."_

_Melody was taken back._

"_Do you say that to every girl you meet?" What? She though to herself, where did that come from? She was deep in depression just a few second ago. Now, she felt confident, powerful…_

_Beautiful…_

"_Oh, I'm sorry," the boy said apologetically. "But I, well, I can read auras. You know, I see the inside."_

_Her heart sunk._

"_How can I be beautiful to you?" she murmured. "I'm evil."_

"_What!" he said, incredulously. "No, you're not!"_

"_You don't even know me!"_

"_I see what's inside you!"_

"_I'm the damn Source of All Evil!" She shrank back, realizing with dread what she had just said. She moved to escape._

"_Of course you have something fighting inside you," he said dismissively, "everyone does."_

"_Source. Me. Evil." She shot back abruptly. _

"_Soul. You. Breathtaking." He mimicked, with a smile._

"_I don't believe you." She turned to leave, and sulk somewhere else._

"_Then I'll show you."_


End file.
